Performance evaluation of TCP over ATM using World Wide Web traffic

We propose a new explicit-rate (ER) available bit rate (ABR) algorithm (load-based explicit rate control, or LBERC) that can maintain high link utilization and reduce congestion in asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) networks. In order to evaluate the algorithm, we model World-Wide Web (WWW) traffic using the file transfer distribution of the SPECweb96 benchmark. We simulate Web traffic via a client-server model that consists of Web clients, Web servers, and a finite source function (FSF) to represent client (user) behavior. When network congestion occurs, users access fewer Web pages (and open fewer new transmission control protocol (TCP) sessions). The FSF simulates this user behavior by counting the number of active TCP sessions. We present TCP-over-ABR/LBERC simulation results to verify the compatibility of interactions between TCP's window-based flow control and ABR's rate-based flow control.