Adaptive rate-based congestion and flow control in packet communications networks

摘要

An end-to-end, closed loop flow and congestion control system for packet communications networks exchanges rate request and rate response messages between data senders and receivers to allow the sender to adjust the data rate to avoid congestion and to control the data flow. Requests and responses are piggy-backed on data packets and result in changes in the input data rate in a direction to optimize data throughput. GREEN, YELLOW and RED operating modes are defined to increase data input, reduce data input and reduce data input drastically, respectively. Incremental changes in data input are altered non-linearly to change more quickly when further away from the optimum operating point than when closer to the optimum operating point.