An end-to-end freeze TCP with timestamps for ad hoc networks

Abstract

Normal TCP performs well in wired networks. However, when employed in ad hoc wireless networks, its loss-based congestion window progression causes high network buffer utilization due to large bursts of data, which degrades the network bandwidth utilization. This paper argues that the reactive congestion window progression (based on duplicate ACK and timeouts) should be not used in ad hoc networks and proposes a receiver-oriented rate controller (rater), with a congestion window delimiter for the IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol, instead. In addition, the transient nature of medium availability due to medium contention is addressed by a freezing timer (freezer) at the receiver, which freezes the sender whenever heavy contention is perceived. Finally, ad hoc sender enhancements are proposed for optimizing the performance of the receiver-end, as an optional deployment. The new ad hoc TCP demonstrates outstanding results in terms of goodput, as well as throughput.