Abstract: The invention disclosed provides a system that includes simulation software to enable a local server to appear to a client computer as a communication service provider and a server remote from the client computer to appear to the communication service provider as the client computer. The invention further provides a method implemented through disclosed software by which multiple packets from a single sending application are accumulated so that a single connection can be established for transmission. A single connection is established for transmitting the message. A further aspect of the invention determines the priority of the message and designates higher priority control messages to be transmitted on a reserved high priority channel.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for updating a congestion window in a packet switched network is disclosed. A transmitting terminal first determines whether a receiving terminal is capable of computing packet throughput rates and then selects whether to operate at a constant or a variable transmission rate. If a variable transmission rate, the receiving terminal computes the effective rate and transmits that rate information to the transmitting terminal. The system then adjusts the throughput rate and simultaneously adjusts the congestion window according to the fed back information. If the receiving terminal is not able to calculate a throughput rate, the sending terminal performs such a calculation based upon messages that acknowledge receipt of the transmitted packets.