Implementation and validation of TCP options and congestion control algorithms for ns-3

Abstract

Currently, the ns-3 network simulator include rather limited TCP functionalities. TCP Options are not supported, and it misses models for widely used congestion control algorithms. Thus, simulations can be inadequate for today's standards and unable to represent what happen inside a broad range of networks, from Gigabit Ethernet to high-delay satellite channels. This paper presents an extension of the ns-3 TCP infrastructure, through the addition of the Window Scaling and the Timestamp Options as well as various models of TCP congestion control algorithms, from the widely used TCP Cubic to algorithms tailored for satellite or high Bandwidth-Delay Product links in general, namely TCP Hybla, Highspeed, Bic and Noordwijk. These additions are useful especially for research in high-speed or high-delay networks, filling the gap between real world and ns-3 TCP. Last but not least, this paper also presents some results regarding the validation of the added models, in order to demonstrate their correctness.