Overview

MaxNet is a clean-slate redesign of Internet congestion control using theoretical analysis to guide the implementation. It is a framework based on explicit signaling of congestion information from routers to hosts. MaxNet achieves provable high performance with the following key features:

• Equilibrium properties:
  • Efficient utilization of network capacity.
  • Fairness of source rates (weighted Max-Min fairness).
• Dynamic properties:
  • Provable stability for any topology.
  • Fast dynamics.
  • Very low latency and jitter.
  • Fast utilization of link capacity as flow starts.
• Implementation:
  • Fully distributed, no per-flow information at router.
  • Very low router buffer requirement.
  • 23 bit signal in header allows 32 to 10¹⁵ bps (one million Gbps) per source with 0.001% accuracy.
  • Only 2 integer operations per packet on router fast-path (max & add).
• Decoupling of loss and congestion control for wireless channels.
• Possible to extend algorithm to allow incremental deployment.

Applications

Whilst MaxNet is designed to be a general next-generation TCP, it may be of immediate benefit to:

• Computing clusters.
• Grid computing.
• Satellite Networks
• Storage Area Networks.
• Wireless and Adhoc networks.
• Very low latency DSL/Cable modem.