Here’s how TCP flow control works:
1. Host B Advertises rwnd:
Host B has a buffer to store incoming data from Host A.
rwnd (Receive Window) tells Host A how much free space is left in this
buffer.
Host B includes the value of rwnd in the acknowledgments it sends to
Host A.
2. Host A Adjusts Its Sending Rate:
Host A sends data to Host B.
Host A keeps track of:
o LastByteSent: The last byte it has sent.
o LastByteAcked: The last byte Host B has acknowledged as
received.
The difference:
LastByteSent−LastByteAcked
is the unacknowledged data still in transit to Host B.
Key Rule: Host A ensures that the unacknowledged data is less than or
equal to the free space in Host B’s buffer (rwnd):
LastByteSent−LastByteAcked≤rwnd
This prevents Host A from sending too much data and overflowing Host
B’s buffer.
Example:
1. Suppose Host B has a receive buffer of size 10,000 bytes (RcvBuffer =
10,000).
2. LastByteRcvd = 5,000: This means 5,000 bytes have been received and
stored in the buffer.
3. LastByteRead = 2,000: This means the application process on Host B
has consumed (read) only 2,000 bytes from the buffer.
4. Buffer-usage: LastByteRcvd−LastByteRead=5,000−2,000=3,000 bytes
5. Free-space-(rwnd):
rwnd=RcvBuffer−
(LastByteRcvd−LastByteRead)=10,000−3,000=7,000byt
es
Host B will advertise this value (rwnd = 7,000) to Host A in the next
acknowledgment.
Steps in Communication
1. First Segment: Client to Server
Host A sends the letter 'C' (1 byte) to Host B.
Sequence number: 42 (first byte being sent).
Acknowledgment number: 79 (waiting for the first byte from Host B).
2. Second Segment: Server to Client
Host B sends two things:
1. Acknowledgment: Confirms it received the letter 'C'.
Acknowledgment number: 43 (next byte it expects from Host A).
2. Echo: Sends back the letter 'C' to Host A.
Sequence number: 79 (first byte Host B is sending).
3. Third Segment: Client to Server
Host A sends an acknowledgment for the echoed letter 'C'.
Sequence number: 43 (to keep the numbering in order, even though no
new data is sent).
Acknowledgment number: 80 (next byte it expects from Host B).
