BCSE308L - Computer Networks Congestion Control and Quality of Service (QoS)

Flashcards covering key concepts and terms related to Data Traffic, Congestion Control, and Quality of Service in Computer Networks.

Data Traffic

The flow of data packets transmitted across a network, influenced by factors like volume, frequency, and priority.

Congestion Control

Techniques to prevent or manage traffic congestion in a network.

Quality of Service (QoS)

The overall performance of a network, often related to the transmission quality of data traffic.

Real-Time Traffic

Data that requires immediate transmission and low latency, such as VoIP calls and video conferencing.

Bursty Traffic

Data transmitted in unpredictable, high-volume spikes rather than a steady flow.

Continuous Traffic

A consistent, predictable flow of data over time.

Interactive Traffic

Data exchanged in short back-and-forth bursts, often between a user and a server.

Bulk Traffic

Large volumes of data transferred with less urgency, often in the background.

Control Traffic

Data used to manage and maintain the network itself.

Peak Rate

The maximum rate at which data is transmitted during a burst.

Average Rate

The average data transmission rate over a longer period.

Burst Size

The maximum amount of data that can be sent in a single burst.

Burst Duration

The time period during which a burst occurs.

Packet Size Distribution

The range and frequency of packet sizes in the traffic.

Inter-Arrival Time

The time gap between consecutive packets.

Constant Bit Rate (CBR)

Traffic with a steady, predictable data rate.

Variable Bit Rate (VBR)

Traffic with fluctuating data rates, often with bursts.

Congestion

Occurs when the demand for network resources exceeds the available supply.

Latency

The time it takes for a packet to travel from the source to the destination.

Throughput

The rate at which data is successfully delivered over the network.

Congestion Window (cwnd)

A TCP variable controlling the size of the sender window based on network congestion.

Slow Start

A congestion control algorithm where the cwnd grows exponentially.

Congestion Avoidance

An algorithm that increases the cwnd additively to control congestion.

Fast Recovery

A method in TCP to manage congestion based on duplicate ACKs.