Differentiating Congestion Vs. Random Loss: A Method For Improving Tcp Performance Over Wireless Links

Tech ID: 10189 / UC Case 2000-352-0

BACKGROUND

Mobile users worldwide are increasing their use of wireless devices to access the Internet, which results in the a greater need for reliable client-server communication over wireless links. Unfortunately, the current Internet protocol for reliability, TCP, has demonstrated severe performance problems when operated over wireless links mainly due to its congestion control algorithims. In TCP, packet loss is the only detection mechanism for congestion in the network. However, wireless links are inherently lossy and suffer from long periods of fading. Since TCP has no mechanism by which to differentiate these losses from congestion, it treats all losses as congestive by reducing its transmission window and effectively reduces the throughput of the connection by half.

DESCRIPTION

Scientists at the University of California have developed a new method that can identify network losses as either random or congestive and respond appropriately. By identifying random losses at the TCP source, the system eliminates the need to reduce the TCP's transmission rate for non-congestive losses.

APPLICATIONS

This new UC technology has applications in wireless Internet communication devices.

ADVANTAGES

The new UC technology provides the following benefits:

  • Accurately determines random wireless losses;
  • Provides quick and efficient error-recovery;
  • Provides high throughput and low end-to-end delay and delay variance over networks with a simple bottleneck link.

REFER ALSO TO UC CASES 2000-303, 2000-311, 2000-314, 2000-349 THROUGH 356, 2000-360, 2000-380, 2000-383 THROUGH 385

Patent Status

Country Type Number Dated Case
United States Of America Issued Patent 7,200,111 04/03/2007 2000-352
 

Inventors

  • Garcia-Luna-Aceves, Jose Joaquin(JJ
  • Parsa, Christina

Other Information

Categorized As

Related cases

2000-352-0

Contact

University of California, Santa Cruz Office for Management of Intellectual Property / technology@ucsc.edu / tel: View Phone Number. Please reference Tech ID #10189.

University of California, Santa Cruz
Office for Management of Intellectual Property

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