A dynamic partial buffer sharing scheme for packet loss control in congested networks

In this paper, a new packet loss control mechanism in congested networks known as dynamic partial buffer sharing (DPBS) is proposed. In contrast to the static partial buffer sharing (SPBS) scheme, the thresholds are dynamically varied in run-time based on packet loss behaviors. A problem with the SPBS scheme is that there is no simple mathematical expression relating the thresholds to the desired packet loss ratios among the different classes of packets, especially in the case of nested thresholds. Also, the variation of packet loss probabilities can be very large. These problems are overcome in the DPBS scheme. The desired packet loss ratios can be achieved by setting the control parameters according to a simple formula. Simulation results show that the mean packet loss probability of DPBS is smaller than that of SPBS by 3% to 47% while the loss variation is improved by 100 times to 1000 times under the same input traffic. It is a benefit, especially for congestion control.