Evaluation of the TCP TS-Prio protocol using Markovian models

Abstract

The quality of service (QoS) perceived by end users in their access to communication services is mainly driven by transport level protocols, like TCP. Recently a protocol that implements service differentiation by appropriate modification of the sliding window size considering the data transfer priority, called TCP TS-Prio (Transient & Static Priority) protocol, was proposed. In this paper, we propose a methodology that can be used to estimate key performance parameters, such as packet loss, queueing delays, window sizes, and throughputs. Our approach models a single TCP TS-Prio source using a Markovian chain. The superposition and interaction of several TCP sources, with service differentiation, is then analyzed. The analysis shows that TCP TS-Prio is able to offer service differentiation depending on the network congestion.