Citrix NetScaler EE, Installation And Configuration Manual

Page: 370 / 1026

© 1999-2017 Citrix Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. p.370 https://docs.citrix.com
QoS Fairness With Random Early Detection (RED)
Oct 04, 2016
The QoS fairness feature improves the fairness of multiple virtual path flows by using QoS classes and Random Early
Detection (RED). A virtual path can be assigned to one of 16 different classes. A class can be one of three basic types:
Realtime classes serve traffic flows that demand prompt service up to a certain bandwidth limit. Low latency is preferred
over aggregate throughput.
Interactive classes have lower priority than realtime but have absolute priority over bulk traffic.
Bulk classes get what is left over from realtime and interactive classes, because latency is less important for bulk traffic.
Users specify different bandwidth requirements for different classes, which enables the virtual path scheduler to arbitrate
competing bandwidth requests from multiple classes of the same type. The scheduler uses the Hierarchical Fair Service
Curve (HFSC) algorithm to achieve fairness among the classes.
HFSC services classes in first-in, first-out (FIFO) order. Before scheduling packets, NetScaler SD-WAN examines the amount
of traffic pending for the packets' class. When excessive traffic is pending, the packets are dropped instead of being put
into the queue (tail dropping).
Why Does TCP Cause Queuing?
TCP cannot control how quickly the network can transmit data. To control bandwidth, TCP implements the concept of a
bandwidth window, which is the amount of unacknowledged traffic that it will allow in the network. It initially starts with a
small window and doubles the size of that window whenever acknowledgments are received. This is called the slow start or
exponential growth phase.
TCP identifies network congestion by detecting dropped packets. If the TCP stack sends a burst of packets that introduce
a 250 ms delay, TCP does not detect congestion if none of the packets are discarded, so it continues to increase the size
of the window. It might continue to do so until the wait time reaches 600-800 ms.
When TCP is not in the slow start mode, it reduces the bandwidth by half when packet loss is detected, and increases the
allowed bandwidth by one packet for each acknowledgment received. TCP therefore alternates between putting upward
pressure on the bandwidth and backing off. Unfortunately, if the wait time reaches 800ms by the time packet loss is
detected, the bandwidth reduction causes a transmission delay.
Impact on QoS Fairness
When TCP transmission delay occurs, providing any kind of fairness guarantee within a virtual-path class is difficult. The
virtual path scheduler must apply tail-drop behavior to avoid holding enormous amounts of traffic. The nature of TCP
connections is such that a small number of traffic flows to fill the virtual path, making it difficult for a new TCP connection
to achieve a fair share of the bandwidth. Sharing bandwidth fairly requires making sure that bandwidth is available for new
packets to be transmitted.
Random Early Detection
Random Early Detection (RED) prevents traffic queues from filling up and causing tail-drop actions. It prevents needless
queuing by the virtual path scheduler, without affecting the throughput that a TCP connection can achieve.
How To Use RED