Abstract

We consider a flow control mechanism that dynamically regulates the rate of data flow into a network based on feedback information about the network state. Such mechanisms have been introduced recently in a variety of networks including the Internet, and have been advocated for future high-speed networks. We first model the flow control mechanism by a discrete-space stochastic process and define appropriate performance measures for transient and steady-state regimes. However, the model does not appear to be analytically tractable and we study it through simulation. We then simplify it to a continuous-space deterministic (or fluid) model for which we can easily derive closed-form solutions. We find the analytical results for the fluid model to agree well with the simulation results obtained using the discrete-space model. Both models explicitly consider delay of the feedback information, thus making them relevant for high-speed networks. 1 Introduction In a computer network, packets g...

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