Internet-type protocol testing in a simulated small satellite environment

The throughput results for file transfers using file sizes ranging from 1 Kbytes through 1 Mbytes using both the standard TCP/IP and SCPS protocol stacks over a PPP link are reported. Channel properties were simulated using a space channel simulator with a range of balanced and unbalanced link speeds and channel error rates. The throughput results show the effects of link configuration and channel error rate on file transfer time. The host computer configuration options for the protocols are factored into the comparison. The throughput reporting shows the effects of header compression and selection of congestion algorithm upon the results. The TCP/IP ftp and SCPS-FP using the VJ congestion control algorithm results give similar results and better results than SCPS-FP with the Vegas congestion control algorithm in these experiments. No noticeable delay effects were noted with links delays corresponding to GEO orbits with file transfers of 1 Mbytes.