ACM SIGCOMM Computer Communication Review · 1984 · 39 citations · 0 references
ComputingComputer EngineeringComputer ScienceComputer NetworksDigital CommunicationInterconnection NetworksCongestion ControlCongestion ManagementInternet Protocol SuiteNetwork Protocol VulnerabilitiesNetwork ProtocolsTransport LayerBandwidthComplex NetworksCongestion CollapseCongestion Control ProtocolsDatagram NetworksInternet ProtocolTransmission ControlTransmission Control Protocol
Congestion control is a recognized problem in complex networks. We have discovered that the Department of Defense's Internet Protocol (IP), a pure datagram protocol, and Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), a transport layer protocol, when used together, are subject to unusual congestion problems caused by interactions between the transport and datagram layers. In particular, IP gateways are vulnerable to a phenomenon we call congestion collapse, especially when such gateways connect networks of widely different bandwidth. We have developed solutions that prevent congestion collapse.