Equilibrium Properties of Rate Control Protocols
For network protocol designers, this work provides insights into the stability conditions of RCP, though it is an incremental step in understanding nonlinear fluid models.
The paper analyzes the stability of the Rate Control Protocol (RCP) using two models, showing that protocol parameters and feedback forms affect stability, and that different time scales impact nonlinear and stochastic properties. A Hopf bifurcation leading to stable limit cycles is identified.
We analyze the stability of the Rate Control Protocol (RCP) using two different models that have been proposed in literature. Our objective is to better understand the impact of the protocol parameters and the effect different forms of feedback have on the stability of the network. We also highlight that different time scales, depending on the propagation delay relative to the queuing delay, have an impact on the nonlinear and the stochastic properties of the protocol fluid models. To better understand some of the nonlinear properties, we resort to local bifurcation analysis where we exhibit the existence of a Hopf type bifurcation that then leads to stable limit cycles. Our work serves as a step towards a more comprehensive understanding of the nonlinear fluid models that have been used as representative models for RCP.