ModellingWeb transfer Performance over Asymmetric Networks

TCP over bandwidth asymmetric networks such as cable TV, asymmetric digital subscriber loop (ADSL) and wireless networks exhibit different characteristics from TCP on symmetric links. A number of techniques have been proposed to address this problem. However, previous research has been largely focused on bulk transfers. This paper investigates the effects of bandwidth asymmetry on Web-like short-lived transfers. A close-form prediction model is presented for TCP transfers over asymmetric links. The Web transfer model is then derived from it. Simulations based on ns-2 show that the model can give predictions for TCP transfers with a high degree of accuracy