Throughput analysis of a DGCRA-based UPC function monitoring misbehaving ABR end-systems

Controlling the conformance of available bit rate (ABR) cells requires a dynamic usage parameter control (UPC) function to monitor and enforce the changing cell rates that are fed back by the network to the ABR source. Due to delays involved in the feedback control loop, rate changes conveyed in backward resource management (RM) cells may not immediately be enforced. This article presents the throughput analysis of a UPC function, based on a dynamic generic cell rate algorithm (DGCRA). In particular, analytical as well as simulative methods are used to describe the throughput behaviour of the UPC function monitoring the cell flow originating from a misbehaving ABR source. The throughput study shows that (i) unexpected UPC cell discard phenomena occur and (ii) more cell traffic may pass the UPC than expected by the network. It is also demonstrated to which extent the throughput results depend on e.g. the considered round trip times, the traffic contract and the degree of contract violation.