Algorithm evaluation for synchronous data compression

Summary form only given. As part of an industry standardization effort, we have evaluated compression algorithms for throughput enhancement in a synchronous communication environment. Synchronous data compression systems are link layer compressors used between digital transmission devices in internetworks to increase effective throughput. Compression is capable of speeding such links, but achievable performance is effected by interaction of algorithm, the networking protocols, and implementation details. The compression environment is different from traditional file compression in inducing a trade-off between compression ratio, compression time, and the performance metric (network throughput). In addition, other parameters and behavior are introduced, including robustness to data retransmission and multiple interleaved streams. Specifically, we have evaluated the following issues through both synchronous queuing and direct network simulation: (1) relative algorithm capability; (2) throughput improvement for various algorithms as a function of compression processor capability; (3) the impact of multiple compression context; (4) protocol interactions; and (5) specialized algorithms.