Flow Control in a LAN

Flow control is a mechanism that is used to manage the flow of traffic on a network. It helps to prevent congestion by regulating the amount of data that is transmitted at any given time. There are several different types of flow control, including window-based flow control and rate-based flow control.

Window-based flow control involves the use of a “window” of data that is transmitted between two devices. The size of the window determines the amount of data that can be transmitted at any given time. If the receiving device is unable to process the data quickly enough, it can send a signal to the sender to reduce the size of the window. This helps to prevent congestion by limiting the amount of data that is transmitted at any given time.

Rate-based flow control involves the use of a predetermined rate at which data can be transmitted. If the receiving device is unable to process the data at this rate, it can send a signal to the sender to reduce the transmission rate. This helps to prevent congestion by limiting the amount of data that is transmitted at any given time.

Pre-requisites: What is Network Congestion? Common Causes and How to Fix Them?, TCP Congestion Control

Congestion and flow control are two important issues that can affect the performance of a local area network (LAN). These issues can arise when there is a high volume of traffic on the network, which can lead to delays, dropped packets, and other problems. In this article, we will discuss what congestion and flow control are, how they can affect a LAN, and how they can be addressed.