TCP Transmission Rate Adjustment via Roundtrip Delay Attribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) implementations reduce packet transmission rates based on assumptions of network congestion, which may not always be accurate, leading to suboptimal performance in attributing packet losses.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method that measure roundtrip delays to differentiate between packet losses caused by congestion and other factors, adjusting transmission rates accordingly by increasing or decreasing the congestion window based on estimated queuing delays.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If TCP decreases transmission rate upon packet loss assumption of congestion, then network congestion is avoided, but transmission rate is reduced unnecessarily when loss is not due to congestion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by measuring roundtrip delays and using this information to adjust transmission rate decisions. The system continuously monitors network conditions (roundtrip delay measurements) and uses this feedback to determine whether packet loss is due to congestion or other factors, thereby making more accurate transmission rate adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional TCP mechanism that automatically reduces transmission rate upon packet loss with a more sophisticated system that substitutes direct rate reduction with a decision-making process based on roundtrip delay measurements. This substitution allows the system to distinguish between congestion-induced loss and other types of loss before adjusting transmission rate.
2Productivity
If TCP increases transmission rate upon receiving acknowledgments, then transmission efficiency is improved, but network congestion may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by measuring roundtrip delays before making transmission rate increase decisions. Instead of immediately increasing rate upon receiving acknowledgments, the system first checks current network conditions (roundtrip delay measurements) to predict potential congestion, thereby preventing congestion before it occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the transmission rate adjustment dynamic by continuously monitoring roundtrip delays and adapting the transmission rate based on current network conditions. The system can increase rate when conditions are good and decrease rate when conditions deteriorate, creating a dynamic response to changing network states rather than static rate adjustments.
3Measurement precision
If roundtrip delay measurement is used to attribute packet loss, then accuracy of loss attribution is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by using existing TCP acknowledgment mechanisms to obtain roundtrip delay measurements. The system leverages the already-present acknowledgment traffic in TCP communication to gather measurement data, rather than requiring separate dedicated measurement protocols or additional signaling overhead.
Data Source
AI summary
In response to a detected loss of previously transmitted information by an apparatus communicating with a remote device (e.g., using TCP), the rate of transmission of information is increased by the apparatus in response to attributing the detected loss of previously transmitted information as not being caused by congestion. This attribution of the packet loss is typically determined based on roundtrip delays between sent information and received corresponding acknowledgments, which may be used directly or indirectly, such as by estimating network queuing delays based on the measured roundtrip delays.