Energy management has become one of the great challenges in portable computing. This is the result of the increasing energy requirements of modern portable devices without a corresponding increase in battery technology. uSleep is an energy reduction technique for handheld devices that is most effective when the handheld's processor is lightly loaded, such as when the user is reading a document or looking at a web page. When possible, rather than using the processor's idle mode, uSleep tries to put the processor in sleep mode for short periods (less than one second) without affecting the user's experience. To enhance the perception that the system is on, an image is maintained on the display and activity is resumed as a result of external events such as touch-screen and button activity. We have implemented, analyzed and evaluated uSleep on a prototype pocket computer, where it has reduced energy consumption by up to 60%.

Simulation is a critical tool in developing, testing, and evaluating network protocols and architectures. This paper describes x-Sim, a network simulator based on the x-kernel, that is able to fully simulate the topologies and traffic patterns of large scale networks. It also illustrates the capabilities and usefulness of the simulator with case studies. Finally, based on our experiences using x-Sim, we identify a set of principles (guidelines) for network simulation, and present concrete examples that quantify the value of these principles, along with the cost of ignoring them.

Vegas is an implementation of TCP that achieves between 37 and 71% better throughput on the Internet, with one-fifth to one-half the losses, as compared to the implementation of TCP in the Reno distribution of BSD Unix. This paper motivates and describes the three key techniques employed by Vegas, and presents the results of a comprehensive experimental performance study, using both simulations and measurements on the Internet, of the Vegas and Reno implementations of TCP.>

Vegas is a new implementation of TCP that achieves between 40 and 70% better throughput, with one-fifth to one-half the losses, as compared to the implementation of TCP in the Reno distribution of BSD Unix. This paper motivates and describes the three key techniques employed by Vegas, and presents the results of a comprehensive experimental performance study—using both simulations and measurements on the Internet—of the Vegas and Reno implementations of TCP.