A Comparative Study of Queue, Delay, and Loss Characteristics of AQM Schemes in QoS-enabled Networks

Abstract

One of the major component in a QoS-enabled network is active queue management (AQM). Over the last decade numerous AQM schemes have been proposed in the literature. However, much recent work has focused on improving AQM performance through alternate approaches. This study focuses on an unbiased comparative evaluation of the various proposals. The evaluation methodology adopted is the following: we first define the relationship between the terminologies used in this paper, briefly introduce the queue, delay, and loss characteristics-- a subset of network characteristics that can be used to describe the behavior of network entities, and give their mathematical description. Next, we present a method that would be a successful case study based on the NS simulation technique and simulation-based comparisons of AQM schemes chosen, which will help understand how they differ from in terms of per-node queueing information and per-flow end-to-end behavior. Simulation results showed that PI schemes, a feedback-based mechanism, can assist delay sensitive applications to adapt dynamically to underlying network and to stabilize the end-to-end QoS within an acceptable requirement. To understand this attribute and behavior is important for the proper design of queue disciplines, for the provisioning of queues and link capacity, and for choosing parameters in simulation.