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authorThomas Voss <mail@thomasvoss.com> 2024-11-27 20:54:24 +0100
committerThomas Voss <mail@thomasvoss.com> 2024-11-27 20:54:24 +0100
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+Network Working Group A. McKenzie
+Request for Comments: 1110 BBN STC
+ August 1989
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+ A Problem with the TCP Big Window Option
+
+Status of this Memo
+
+ This memo comments on the TCP Big Window option described in RFC
+ 1106. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.
+
+Abstract
+
+ The TCP Big Window option discussed in RFC 1106 will not work
+ properly in an Internet environment which has both a high bandwidth *
+ delay product and the possibility of disordering and duplicating
+ packets. In such networks, the window size must not be increased
+ without a similar increase in the sequence number space. Therefore,
+ a different approach to big windows should be taken in the Internet.
+
+Discussion
+
+ TCP was designed to work in a packet store-and-forward environment
+ characterized by the possibility of packet loss, packet disordering,
+ and packet duplication. Packet loss can occur, for example, by a
+ congested network element discarding a packet. Packet disordering
+ can occur, for example, by packets of a TCP connection being
+ arbitrarily transmitted partially over a low bandwidth terrestrial
+ path and partially over a high bandwidth satellite path. Packet
+ duplication can occur, for example, when two directly-connected
+ network elements use a reliable link protocol and the link goes down
+ after the receiver correctly receives a packet but before the
+ transmitter receives an acknowledgement for the packet; the
+ transmitter and receiver now each take responsibility for attempting
+ to deliver the same packet to its ultimate destination.
+
+ TCP has the task of recreating at the destination an exact copy of
+ the data stream generated at the source, in the same order and with
+ no gaps or duplicates. The mechanism used to accomplish this task is
+ to assign a "unique" sequence number to each byte of data at its
+ source, and to sort the bytes at the destination according to the
+ sequence number. The sorting operation corrects any disordering. An
+ acknowledgement, timeout, and retransmission scheme corrects for data
+ loss. The uniqueness of the sequence number corrects for data
+ duplication.
+
+ As a practical matter, however, the sequence number is not unique; it
+
+
+
+McKenzie [Page 1]
+
+RFC 1110 Comments on TCP Big Window Option August 1989
+
+
+ is contained in a 32-bit field and therefore "wraps around" after the
+ transmission of 2**32 bytes of data. Two additional mechanisms are
+ used to insure the effective uniqueness of sequence numbers; these
+ are the TCP transmission window and bounds on packet lifetime within
+ the Internet, including the IP Time-to-Live (TTL). The transmission
+ window specifies the maximum number of bytes which may be sent by the
+ source in one source-destination roundtrip time. Since the TCP
+ transmission window is specified by 16 bits, which is 1/65536 of the
+ sequence number space, a sequence number will not be reused (used to
+ number another byte) for 65,536 roundtrip times. So long as the
+ combination of gateway action on the IP TTL and holding times within
+ the individual networks which interconnect the gateways do not allow
+ a packet's lifetime to exceed 65,536 roundtrip times, each sequence
+ number is effectively unique. It was believed by the TCP designers
+ that the networks and gateways forming the internet would meet this
+ constraint, and such has been the case.
+
+ The proposed TCP Big Window option, as described in RFC 1106, expands
+ the size of the window specification to 30 bits, while leaving the
+ sequence number space unchanged. Thus, a sequence number can be
+ reused after 4 roundtrip times. Further, the Nak option allows a
+ packet to be retransmitted (i.e., potentially duplicated) by the
+ source after only one roundtrip time. Thus, if a packet becomes
+ "lost" in the Internet for only about 5 roundtrip times it may be
+ delivered when its sequence number again lies within the window,
+ albeit a later cycle of the window. In this case, TCP will not
+ necessarily recreate at the destination an exact copy of the data
+ stream generated at the source; it may replace some data with earlier
+ data.
+
+ Of course, the problem described above results from the storage of
+ the "lost" packet within the net, and its subsequent out-of-order
+ delivery. RFC 1106 seems to describe use of the proposed options in
+ an isolated satellite network. We may hypothesize that this network
+ is memoryless, and thus cannot deliver packets out of order; it
+ either delivers a packet in order or loses it. If this is the case,
+ then there is no problem with the proposed options. The Internet,
+ however, can deliver packets out of order, and this will likely
+ continue to be true even if gigabit links become part of the
+ Internet. Therefore, the approach described in RFC 1106 cannot be
+ adopted for general Internet use.
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+McKenzie [Page 2]
+
+RFC 1110 Comments on TCP Big Window Option August 1989
+
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+Author's Address
+
+ Alex McKenzie
+ Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc.
+ 10 Moulton Street
+ Cambridge, MA 02238
+
+ Phone: (617) 873-2962
+
+ EMail: MCKENZIE@BBN.COM
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+McKenzie [Page 3]
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