Congestion avoidance networks: CEFLAR. Congestion estimation feedback by limited acceleration-rate/-ratio

Abstract

This paper shows that a network supplying variable bit rate services can be prevented from becoming congested if each terminal limits the capacity of its connection in terms of its rate of increase. Variable bit rate sources are adequately assessed with two new concepts: the bit rate increase per unit time (acceleration-rate=/spl alpha/ bit/sec/spl and/2) or the bit rate increase ratio (acceleration-ratio=exp(/spl beta/)). The dimension of the acceleration-ratio coefficient /spl beta/ is seconds/spl and/-l and the upper limits /spl alpha/ and /spl beta/ are regulated to guarantee the network's QoS. The proposed concepts allow the network state to be accurately estimated and so avoid congestion. The proposed method can be applied to ATM networks, frame relay networks, fast reservation protocol systems and so on.<>