In this paper, we derive an approximation for throughput of TCP Compound
connections under random losses. Throughput expressions for TCP Compound under
a deterministic loss model exist in the literature. These are obtained assuming
the window sizes are continuous, i.e., a fluid behaviour is assumed. We
validate this model theoretically. We show that under the deterministic loss
model, the TCP window evolution for TCP Compound is periodic and is independent
of the initial window size. We then consider the case when packets are lost
randomly and independently of each other. We discuss Markov chain models to
analyze performance of TCP in this scenario. We use insights from the
deterministic loss model to get an appropriate scaling for the window size
process and show that these scaled processes, indexed by p, the packet error
rate, converge to a limit Markov chain process as p goes to 0. We show the
existence and uniqueness of the stationary distribution for this limit process.
Using the stationary distribution for the limit process, we obtain
approximations for throughput, under random losses, for TCP Compound when
packet error rates are small. We compare our results with ns2 simulations which
show a good match.Comment: Longer version for NCC 201
