PEPsal Performance Analysis on Disruptive Radio Channels

Fixed GEO satellite communications are impaired by long RTTs (especially GEO) and the possible presence of packet losses on the satellite radio channels. Moreover, when the satellite receiver is mobile, short and long disruptions due to line of sight obstructions associated with the presence of shadowing can cause further performance deterioration. In this paper, we evaluate the impact of a disruptive channel on PEPsal, a TCP-splitting PEP previously developed by the authors. Results, obtained by emulating the satellite link interruptions caused by tunnels of a real railway line, highlight the advantages of the TCP-splitting architecture. By enabling the adoption of optimized version of TCP on the satellite connection and a satellite-specific tuning of TCP parameters, PEPsal can offer a significant resilience against all kind of satellite impairments.