MaxNet: an efficient max-min fair allocation scheme

It has been analytically proved that both MaxNet and SumNet can achieve max-min fair allocation in static networks. In SumNet networks, such as the TCP algorithm of the current Internet, the source rate is controlled by congestion signal which is the sum of signals from all of the congested links along the path from the source to the destination. In MaxNet networks, only the most congested link generates the control signal to dictate the source rate. This paper investigates the practical aspects of both schemes, specifically, the convergence speed and fairness tracking capability under transient network conditions. We have shown that the stability of SumNet's max-min fairness heavily depends on the network load. Within the stable ranges of operating points, SumNet's max-min fair allocation is obtained at the cost of response speed. An enhanced approach is proposed to improve the stability of SumNet to meet the max-min fairness criterion. We have shown both analytically and by simulation that under stable conditions, MaxNet has faster convergence speed and better fairness tracking capability than SumNet in a highly volatile environment.