Proportional bandwidth distribution in IP networks implementing the assured forwarding PHB

Recent demands for new applications are giving rise to an increasing need of quality of service (QoS). Nowadays, most IP-based networks tend to use the DiffServ architecture to provide end-to-end QoS. Traffic conditioners are a key element in the deployment of DiffServ. In this paper, we introduce a new approach for traffic conditioning based on feedback signaling among boundary nodes and traffic conditioners. This new approach is intended to provide a proportional distribution of excess bandwidth to end-users. We evaluate through extensive simulations the performance of our proposal in terms of final throughput, considering contracted target rates and distribution of spare bandwidth. Results show a high level of fairness in the excess bandwidth allocation among TCP sources under different network conditions.