Network Aware Compression Based Rate Control for Printing System

Maximal compression of a file may not be desirable in a practical communications network with varying bandwidth constraints and diverse computational power at network host and client locations. Maximizing compression can stress both the compressor and decompressor, while leaving data pathway(s) under utilized, and conversely, insufficient compression can introduce unnecessary bottlenecks. We present a compression based rate control model that can be used to maximize throughput in a network. We then present performance simulations for a network printer, where compression of print jobs is adjusted to minimize user wait time, subject to constraints on the currently available bandwidth and the resources of different printers.