43.1 Implementation Details

**Figure 43.1:** PackMimeHTTP Architecture. Each PackMimeHTTP object controls a server and a client cloud. Each cloud can represent multiple client or server Applications. Each Application represents either a single web server or a single web client.
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Each web server or web client cloud is represented by a single ns node that can produce and consume multiple HTTP connections at a time (Figure 43.1). For each HTTP connection, PackMimeHTTP creates (or allocates from the inactive pool, as described below) server and client Applications and their associated TCP Agents. After setting up and starting each connection, PackMimeHTTP sets a timer to expire when the next new connection should begin. The time between new connections is governed by the connection rate parameter supplied by the user. New connections are started according to the connection arrival times without regard to the completion of previous requests, but a new request between the same client and server pair (as with HTTP 1.1) begins only after the previous request-response pair has been completed.

PackMimeHTTP handles the re-use of Applications and Agents that have completed their data transfer. There are 5 pools used to maintain Applications and Agents - one pool for inactive TCP Agents and one pool each for active and inactive client and server Applications. The pools for active Applications ensure that all active Applications are destroyed when the simulation is finished. Active TCP Agents do not need to be placed in a pool because each active Application contains a pointer to its associated TCP Agent. New objects are only created when there are no Agents or Applications available in the inactive pools.