Robust TCP (TCP-R) with Explicit Packet Drop Notification (EPDN) for Satellite Networks

Numerous studies have shown that packet reordering is common, especially in satellite networks where there are regular handoffs occurring between neighboring satellites. Reordering of packets decreases the TCP performance of a network, mainly because it leads to overestimation of the congestion of the network. We consider satellite networks and analyze the performance of such networks when reordering of packets occurs. We propose a solution that could significantly improve the performance of the network when reordering of packets occurs in the satellite network. We report results of our simulation experiments, which support this claim. Our solution is based on enabling the senders to distinguish between dropped packets and reordered packets.