[e2e] Why do we need TCP flow control (rwnd)?

[Michael Scharf]

On Mon, 30 Jun 2008 at 22:42:12, David P. Reed wrote:
> The rwnd question (one simple question that considers the flow control part 
> of TCP) is interesting, as I said.  But to consider it one has to consider 
> externalities that this group and more generally the researchers in the 
> field of "networking" have no good models for.   As just one example: does 
> a server version of Linux running a mix of server applications manage its 
> kernel buffer pool in any way similarly to a laptop version of MacOSX 
> running a mix of client applications?

I absolutely agree that the "networking" community has difficulties to
model these issues. Actually, this is another excellent motivation for
my original question: If we can't model flow control, why we don't we
just get rid of it?

Just joking...

Michael

BTW: I wonder how all those TCP simulators out there address this
problem.