Buffer requirements for ABR traffic using congestion control mechanism

Abstract

In this paper, we perform analysis and simulation for the calculation of the minimum buffer size requirements for Available Bit Rate (ABR) traffic. We utilized a recently developed feedback flow control congestion mechanism. This mechanism belongs to a class of Backpressure (BP) algorithms. It ensures no data loss and operates based on simple stop and start signals. In our analysis, a feedback scheme on multiple ABR connections is used. Two buffering approaches are analyzed: (1) A Dedicated Approach; in which the flow control mechanism is applied independently for each of the connections. Thus, each connection is provided with its own buffer. (2) A Shared Approach; in which there will be some form of buffer sharing among the ABR connections. We studied the effects of changing the distance between nodes (connection length), number of connections, and the peak rate of each connection on buffer requirements using the two approaches.