Performance evaluation of optimized available bandwidth estimation tools in FTTH networks

The estimation of available bandwidth over an end-to-end communication path is of paramount importance as it measures the performance of the underlying network infrastructure. Over the years, many available bandwidth estimation tools have been developed. Numerous studies have also been conducted to evaluate and compare the performance of these tools. However, most of these evaluations were conducted by using simplified testbed built from ordinary general purpose computers or low-end routers. In addition, these experiments were normally carried out by using the default runtime input parameters settings suggested by the inventor of the corresponding tool. Consequently, this may not necessarily lead to optimum results and therefore may not truly reflect the actual capability of these tools when they are fine-tuned to their optimum configurations which suit the real production environment especially in today's advanced internetworking technologies. This paper addresses these common weaknesses in the past studies by evaluating several prominent available bandwidth estimation tools being carefully tuned to their respective optimized runtime input parameters settings in a realistic testbed built with commercial network equipment that resembles a typical Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH) High Speed Broadband (HSBB) network. The results obtained demonstrate a better manifestation on the performance of these tools under optimum configurations and validate their applicability in the advanced networks of today.