From help-file :
RED queue CONFIG_NET_SCH_RED Say Y here if you want to use the Random Early Detection (RED) packet scheduling algorithm for some of your network devices (see the top of net/sched/sch_red.c for details and references about the algorithm). This code is also available as a module called sch_red.o ( = code which can be inserted in and removed from the running kernel whenever you want). If you want to compile it as a module, say M here and read Documentation/modules.txt
From source-files :
Random Early Detection (RED) algorithm. ======================================= Source: Sally Floyd and Van Jacobson, "Random Early Detection Gateways for Congestion Avoidance", 1993, IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking. This file codes a "divisionless" version of RED algorithm as written down in Fig.17 of the paper. Short description. ------------------ When a new packet arrives we calculate the average queue length: avg = (1-W)*avg + W*current_queue_len, W is the filter time constant (choosen as 2^(-Wlog)), it controls the inertia of the algorithm. To allow larger bursts, W should be decreased. if (avg > th_max) -> packet marked (dropped). if (avg < th_min) -> packet passes. if (th_min < avg < th_max) we calculate probability: Pb = max_P * (avg - th_min)/(th_max-th_min) and mark (drop) packet with this probability. Pb changes from 0 (at avg==th_min) to max_P (avg==th_max). max_P should be small (not 1), usually 0.01..0.02 is good value. max_P is chosen as a number, so that max_P/(th_max-th_min) is a negative power of two in order arithmetics to contain only shifts. Parameters, settable by user: ----------------------------- limit - bytes (must be > qth_max + burst) Hard limit on queue length, should be chosen >qth_max to allow packet bursts. This parameter does not affect the algorithms behaviour and can be chosen arbitrarily high (well, less than ram size) Really, this limit will never be reached if RED works correctly. qth_min - bytes (should be < qth_max/2) qth_max - bytes (should be at least 2*qth_min and less limit) Wlog - bits (<32) log(1/W). Plog - bits (<32) Plog is related to max_P by formula: max_P = (qth_max-qth_min)/2^Plog; F.e. if qth_max=128K and qth_min=32K, then Plog=22 corresponds to max_P=0.02 Scell_log Stab Lookup table for log((1-W)^(t/t_ave). NOTES: Upper bound on W. ----------------- If you want to allow bursts of L packets of size S, you should choose W: L + 1 - th_min/S < (1-(1-W)^L)/W th_min/S = 32 th_min/S = 4 log(W) L -1 33 -2 35 -3 39 -4 46 -5 57 -6 75 -7 101 -8 135 -9 190 etc.