LAB 10

TCP: Transmission
Control Protocol
A Reliable, Connection-Oriented,
Byte-Stream Service

OBJECTIVES
This lab is designed to demonstrate the congestion control algorithms implemented by the
Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). The lab provides a number of scenarios to simulate
these algorithms. You will compare the performance of the algorithms through the analysis
of the simulation results.
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OVERVIEW
The Internets TCP guarantees the reliable, in-order delivery of a stream of bytes. It includes
a flow-control mechanism for the byte streams that allows the receiver to limit how much
data the sender can transmit at a given time. In addition, TCP implements a highly tuned
congestion-control mechanism. The idea of this mechanism is to throttle the rate at which
TCP sends data, to keep the sender from overloading the network.
The idea of TCP congestion control is for each source to determine how much capacity is
available in the network so that it knows how many packets it can safely have in transit. It
maintains a state variable for each connection, called the congestion window, which is used
by the source to limit how much data the source is allowed to have in transit at a given time.
TCP uses a mechanism called additive increase/multiplicative decrease. With this feature,
TCP decreases the congestion window when the level of congestion goes up and increases
the congestion window when the level of congestion goes down. TCP interprets timeouts
as a sign of congestion. Each time a timeout occurs, the source sets the congestion window
to half of its previous value. This halving corresponds to the multiplicative decrease part
of the mechanism. The congestion window is not allowed to fall below the size of a single
packet (the TCP maximum segment size, or MSS). Every time the source successfully sends a
congestion window worth of packets, it adds the equivalent of one packet to the congestion
window; this is the additive increase part of the mechanism.
TCP uses a mechanism called slow start to increase the congestion window rapidly from
a cold start in TCP connections. It increases the congestion window exponentially rather
than linearly. Finally, TCP utilizes a mechanism called fast retransmit and fast recovery.
Fast retransmit is a heuristic that sometimes triggers the retransmission of a dropped packet
sooner than the regular timeout mechanism.
 Network Simulation Experiments Manual

In this lab, you will set up a network that utilizes TCP as its end-to-end transmission protocol,
and you will analyze the size of the congestion window with different mechanisms.

PRE-LAB ACTIVITIES
& Read Section 5.2 from Computer Networks: A Systems Approach, 5th Edition.
: Go to www.net-seal.net and play the following animations:
TCP Connections
TCP Multiplexing
TCP Buffering and Sequencing
User Datagram Protocol (UDP)

PROCEDURE
Create a New Project
1. Start OPNET IT Guru Academic Edition Choose New from the File menu.
2. Select Project and click OK Name the project <your initials>_TCP, and the scenario
No_Drop Click OK.
3. In the Startup Wizard: Initial Topology dialog box, make sure that Create Empty Scenario
is selected Click Next Select Choose From Maps from the Network Scale list Click
Next Choose USA from the Map List Click Next twice Click OK.

Create and Configure the Network

The ip32_cloud node Initialize the network:
100 model represents an IP
cloud supporting up to 1. The Object Palette dialog box should now be on the top of your project space. If it is not
32 serial line interfaces there, open it by clicking . Make sure that the internet_toolbox item is selected from
at a selectable data rate the pull-down menu on the object palette.
through which IP traffic 2. Add to the project workspace the following objects from the palette: Application Config,
can be modeled. IP pack- Profile Config, an ip32_Cloud, and two subnets.
ets arriving on any cloud a. To add an object from a palette, click its icon in the object palette Move your mouse
interface are routed to
to the workspace Click to drop the object in the desired location Right-click to
the appropriate output
interface based on their finish creating objects of that type.
destination IP address. 3. Close the palette.
The RIP or OSPF protocol 4. Rename the objects you added as shown.
may be used to auto- 5. Save your project.
matically and dynami-
cally create the clouds
routing tables and select
routes in an adaptive
manner. This cloud
requires a fixed amount
of time to route each
packet, as determined Applications Profiles

by the Packet Latency

attribute of the node. West IP

USA internet East

 LAB 10
TCP: Transmission Control Protocol

Configure the applications:

1. Right-click on the Applications node Edit Attributes Expand the Application
Definitions attribute and set rows to 1 Expand the new row Name the row
FTP_Application.
a. Expand the Description hierarchy Edit the FTP row as shown (first, you will need
to set the Special Value to Not Used while editing the attributes shown):

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2. Click OK twice, and Save your project.

Configure the profiles:
1. Right-click on the Profiles node Edit Attributes Expand the Profile Configuration
attribute and set rows to 1.
a. Name and set the attributes of row 0 as shown Click OK.
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Configure the West subnet:

1. Double-click on the West subnet node. You get an empty workspace, indicating that the
subnet contains no objects.
2. Open the Object palette and make sure that the internet_toolbox item is selected from
the pull-down menu.
The ethernet4_slip8_ 3. Add the following items to the subnet workspace: one ethernet_server, one ethernet4_
gtwy node model slip8_gtwy router, and connect them with a bidirectional 100_BaseT link Close the
represents an IP-based palette Rename the objects as shown.
gateway supporting four
Ethernet hub interfaces
and eight serial line
interfaces.

4. Right-click on the Server_West node Edit Attributes:

a. Edit Application: Supported Services Set rows to 1 Set Name to FTP_
Application Click OK.
b. Edit the value of the Server Address attribute and write down Server_West.
c. Expand the TCP Parameters hierarchy Set both Fast Retransmit and Fast Recovery
to Disabled.
5. Click OK, and Save your project.
Now, you have completed the configuration of the West subnet. To go back to the top level
of the project and click the Go to next higher level button.
102 Configure the East subnet:
1. Double-click on the East subnet node. You get an empty workspace, indicating that the
subnet contains no objects.
2. Open the Object palette and make sure that the internet_toolbox item is selected
from the pull-down menu.
3. Add the following items to the subnet workspace: one ethernet_wkstn, one ethernet4_
slip8_gtwy router, and connect them with a bidirectional 100_BaseT link Close the
palette Rename the objects as shown.

4. Right-click on the Client_East node Edit Attributes:

a. Expand the Application: Supported Profiles hierarchy Set rows to 1 Expand the
row 0 hierarchy Set Profile Name to FTP_Profile.
b. Assign Client_ East to the Client Address attributes.
c. Edit the Application: Destination Preferences attribute as follows:
d. Set rows to 1 Set Symbolic Name to FTP Server Edit Actual Name Set rows
to 1 In the new row, assign Server_West to the Name column.
5. Click OK three times, and then Save your project.
You have now completed the configuration of the East subnet. To go back to the project
space, click the Go to next higher level button.
 LAB 10
TCP: Transmission Control Protocol

Connect the subnets to the IP Cloud:

1. Open the Object palette .
2. Using two PPP_DS3 bidirectional links, connect the East subnet to the IP Cloud and the
West subnet to the IP Cloud.
3. A pop-up dialog box will appear, asking you with what to connect the subnet to the IP
Cloud with. Make sure to select the routers.
4. Close the palette.

Applications Profiles

IP

West East
USA internet

Choose the Statistics

OPNET provides the fol-
1. Right-click on Server_West in the West subnet, and select Choose Individual Statistics lowing capture modes:
from the pop-up menu. 103
All values: This mode
2. In the Choose Results dialog box, choose the following statistic:
collects every data point
a. TCP Connection Congestion Window Size (bytes) and Sent Segment Sequence from a statistic.
Number.
Sample: This mode col-
lects the data according
to a user-specified time
interval or sample count.
For example, if the time
interval is 10, data is
sampled and recorded
every 10th second. If
the sample count is 10,
every 10th data point is
recorded. All other data
points are discarded.
Bucket: This mode
collects all of the points
over the time interval
or sample count into
a data bucket and
generates a result from
each bucket. This is the
default mode.
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b. Right-click on the Congestion Window Size (bytes) statistic Choose Change

Collection Mode In the dialog box, check Advanced From the drop-down
menu, assign all values to Capture mode as shown Click OK.
c. Right-click on the Sent Segment Sequence Number statistic Choose Change
Collection Mode In the dialog box, check Advanced From the drop-down
menu, assign all values to Capture mode.
3. Click OK twice, and Save your project.
4. Click the Go to next higher level button.

Configure the Simulation

Here we need to configure the duration of the simulation:
1. Click on and the Configure Simulation window should appear.
2. Set the duration to 10.0 minutes Click OK.

Duplicate the Scenario

With fast retrans- In the network we just created, we assumed a perfect network with no discarded packets.
mit, TCP performs a Also, we disabled the fast retransmit and fast recovery techniques in TCP. To analyze the
retransmission of what effects of discarded packets and those congestion-control techniques, we will create two addi-
appears to be the missing
tional scenarios.
segment, without waiting
for a retransmission timer 1. Select Duplicate Scenario from the Scenarios menu, and give it the name Drop_NoFast
to expire. Click OK.
After fast retransmit a. In the new scenario, right-click on the IP Cloud Edit Attributes Assign 0.05% to
104 sends what appears to the Packet Discard Ratio attribute Click OK, and Save your project.
be the missing segment, 2. While you are still in the Drop_NoFast scenario, select Duplicate Scenario from the
congestion avoidance Scenarios menu, and give it the name Drop_Fast.
but not slow start is per-
a. In the Drop_Fast scenario, right-click on Server_ West, which is inside the West
formed. This is the fast
recovery algorithm. subnet Edit Attributes Expand the TCP Parameters hierarchy Enable the Fast
Retransmit attribute Assign Reno to the Fast Recovery attribute.
The fast retransmit and 3. Click OK, and Save your project.
fast recovery algorithms
are usually implemented
together (RFC 2001).
Run the Simulation
To run the simulation for the three scenarios simultaneously:
1. Go to the Scenarios menu Select Manage Scenarios.
2. Change the values under the Results column to <collect> (or <recollect>) for the three
scenarios. Compare with the following figure.
3. Click OK to run the three simulations. Depending on the speed of your processor, this
task may take several seconds to complete.
4. After the simulation runs complete, click Close Save your project.

View the Results

To switch to a sce- To view and analyze the results:
nario, choose Switch
to Scenario from the 1. Switch to the Drop_NoFast scenario (the second one) and choose View Results from the
Scenarios menu or just Results menu.
press Ctrl <scenario 2. Fully expand the Object Statistics hierarchy and select the following two results:
number>. Congestion Window Size (bytes) and Sent Segment Sequence Number.
 LAB 10
TCP: Transmission Control Protocol

3. Click Show. The resulting graphs should resemble the ones that follow.

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4. To zoom in on the details in the graph, click and drag your mouse to draw a rectangle, as
shown in the preceding figure.
The graph should be redrawn to resemble the following one:
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Notice the Segment Sequence Number is almost flat with every drop in the congestion
window.
5. Close the View Results dialog box and select Compare Results from the Result menu.
6. Fully expand the Object Statistics hierarchy as shown and select the following result:
Sent Segment Sequence Number.

7. Click Show. After you zoom in, the resulting graph should resemble the one shown here.
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 LAB 10
TCP: Transmission Control Protocol

FURTHER READINGS
OPNET TCP Model Description: From the Protocols menu, select TCP Model Usage
Guide.
Transmission Control Protocol: IETF RFC number 793 (www.ietf.org/rfc.html).

EXERCISES
1. Why does the Segment Sequence Number remain unchanged (indicated by a horizontal
line in the graphs) with every drop in the congestion window?
2. Analyze the graph that compares the Segment Sequence numbers of the three scenarios.
Why does the Drop_NoFast scenario have the slowest growth in sequence numbers?
3. In the Drop_NoFast scenario, obtain the overlaid graph that compares Sent Segment
Sequence Number with Received Segment ACK Number for Server_West. Explain
the graph. Hint: Make sure to assign all values to the Capture mode of the Received
Segment ACK Number statistic.
4. Create another scenario as a duplicate of the Drop_Fast scenario. Name the new scenario
Q4_Drop_Fast_Buffer. In the new scenario, edit the attributes of the Client_East node
and assign 65535 to its Receiver Buffer (bytes) attribute (one of the TCP Parameters).
Generate a graph that shows how the Congestion Window Size (bytes) of Server_West
gets affected by the increase in the receiver buffer. (Compare the congestion window size
graph from the Drop_Fast scenario with the corresponding graph from the Q4_Drop_
Fast_Buffer scenario.)

LAB REPORT
Prepare a report that follows the guidelines explained in the Introduction Lab. The report
should include the answers to the preceding exercises as well as the graphs you generated 107
from the simulation scenarios. Discuss the results you obtained and compare these results
with your expectations. Mention any anomalies or unexplained behaviors.