[MUD-Dev] Re: Error tolerant UDP data streams

[James Wilson]

On Mon, 07 Dec 1998, J C Lawrence wrote:

[snip]

>ObThought: This would be particularly cute if the client ran its own
>statistics on the incoming multiple-copy data streams and sent
>occassional advisory packets back to the server, requesting the
>server to increase or decrease the number of duplicate packets sent
>according to the averaged (weighted mean) percentage that are making
>it thru in good order.  Bad connection/lag == more duplicates and
>more network congestion.  Good connectivity == minimal duplication.
>
>ObHack: Network connectivity problems rarely have nice sloped
>shoulders (ie it doesn't start or stop gradually, but turns on and
>off almost instantly).  As such the client would need to be able to
>have an over-ride packet that it could send back to the server,
>saying something to the effect of, "Help!  Increase dumplication
>load immediately -- I'm not getting anything!".  The duplication
>level would then be allowed to degrade from there as per normal.

hrmmm... seems like I just read an RFC which said something like
"The only thing saving the internet from congestion collapse is
the voluntary inclusion of TCP backoff in almost every TCP 
implementation". When everybody's using this technique, doesn't
congestion increase approx. exponentially? I.e. it's congested so
everyone doubles the number of packets they send out, it gets more
congested so they double again, etc...

James