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CITS3002 Computer Networks |
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Congestion and Flow-Control in the Network LayerAn additional problem to be addressed by the Network Layer occurs if too many packets are 'dumped' into some part of the subnet - network performance will degrade sharply. Worse still, when performance degrades, timeouts and re-transmission of packets will increase. Also, if all available buffer space in each router is exhausted, then incoming packets will be discarded (what??!!), causing further re-transmissions. Congestion is both a problem that a node's Network Layer must avoid (not introduce), and must address (if other nodes' Network Layers cause it).
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The sender must not swamp the receiver, and typically involves
direct feedback from the receiver to the sender to 'slow down'.
CITS3002 Computer Networks, Lecture 5, The Network Layer, p16, 25th March 2024.
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