Loss Fluctuations and Temporal Correlations in Network Queues

Abstract: We consider data losses in a single node of a packet-switched Internet-like network. We employ two distinct models, one with discrete and the other with continuous one-dimensional random walks, representing the state of a queue in a router. Both models {have} a built-in critical behavior with {a sharp} transition from exponentially small to finite losses. It turns out that the finite capacity of a buffer and the packet-dropping procedure give rise to specific boundary conditions which lead to strong loss rate fluctuations at the critical point even in the absence of such fluctuations in the data arrival process.