Dropping or marking: a review and evaluation of existing fluid-flow approximation models

Abstract

Fluid-flow approximation is an approach to modelling and evaluating the performance of vast computer networks. Due to varying traffic and performance of transmission protocols reacting to traffic overloads, computer networks are in a permanent transient state. The fluid-flow method main advantage is its ability to analyse these transient states. The article reviews and organises several versions of this approach, indicating a few errors. The main reason for these errors is confusion or lack of distinction between the two versions of the Internet Protocol – when the queue of packets at a node is too long, they may be destroyed or only marked as redundant. The paper compares and evaluates these fluid-flow approximation models with mild and aggressive settings of RED parameters. The authors build a software system with hitherto unprecedented capabilities regarding the size of the networks to be analysed and with innovative way of organising the calculations. The paper shows how large differences imprecise assumptions can introduce in quantitative results.