TCP over OBS - Fixed-point load and loss

The sending rate of commonly used TCP protocols is tightly coupled to packet loss within the network: a high rate of packet loss will cause a sender to slow down, thereby reducing the network load and decreasing subsequent packet loss rates. In this paper, we combine a widely verified source rate TCP model with an Optical Burst Switching (OBS) loss model, to find fixed-point input loads and loss rates for an OBS link carrying TCP traffic. In doing so, we show that if OBS networks are to be efficiently used to carry TCP traffic, many wavelengths with full wavelength conversion are required. © 2005 Optical Society of America.