Performance evaluation of TCP connections in ideal and non-ideal network environments

In this paper, we study the performance of TCP in both ideal and non-ideal network environments. For the ideal environments, we develop a simple analy tical model for the throughput and transfer time of TCP as a function of th e file size and TCP parameters. Our simulation measurements demonstrate tha t this model can accurately predict the throughput for ideal TCP connection s characterized by no packet loss due to congestion or bit errors. If these ideal conditions are not met, the model gives an upper bound for throughpu t and lower bound for transfer time. For the non-ideal environments, we con centrate on wireless links. While our ideal model provides an easy to use t ool to calculate bounds on the performance of all TCP implementations in su ch environments, we also show through simulation the relative performance o f four well-known TCP implementations. We also present simulation results t hat demonstrate the dominant factors affecting the performance of wireless TCP. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.