Traffic management for TCP/IP over satellite ATM networks

Several Ka-band satellite systems have been proposed that will use ATM tech nology to seamlessly transport Internet traffic. The ATM UBR, GFR, and ABR service categories have been designed for data. However, several studies ha ve reported poor TCP performance over satellite ATM networks. We describe t echniques to improve TCP performance over satellite ATM networks. We first discuss the various design options available for TCP end systems, IP-ATM ed ge devices, as well as ATM switches for long-latency connections. We discus s buffer management policies, guaranteed rate services, and the virtual sou rce/virtual destination option in ATM. We present a comparison of ATM servi ce categories for TCP transport over satellite links. The main goal of this article is to discuss design and performance issues for the transport of T CP over UBR, GFR, and ABR services for satellite ATM networks.