Priority Based Buffering over Multiple Lossy Links Using TCP Aware Link Layer Buffering

Wireless military information systems require high reliability, which is difficult to achieve in adverse conditions. To provide high reliability one must overcome packet loss across multiple wireless hops. Buffering packets in a lossy environment is well explored; however, the ability to selectively buffer TCP traffic across multiple lossy links is a new area of research. This document seeks to explore the delivery of high priority traffic in a lossy environment and conclude that prioritized buffing can increase the probability that a high priority download will finish, where others will fail. It is shown that buffering provides six times the throughput in a network with each link experiencing 25% loss. Prioritizing TCP packet flows provides a varied outcome, as it can not overcome the TCP mechanisms, when the packet loss recovery time is greater than the retransmission timeout event. However, the future work in chapter 6 may provide roadmap to gaining control authority of the challenged network.