Minimal buffer network arbiter

A network arbiter for minimizing buffering by controlling a rate of packet data transmission between a sender and a client connected to a network, the network arbiter comprising:

• an advertised receive window of a predetermined size expressed in one of bytes or number of packets;
• a downstream temporary storage for temporarily storing data in transmission from the sender to the client;
• an upstream temporary storage for temporarily storing data in transmission from the client to the sender;
• and
• a processor, operatively connected to the downstream temporary storage and the upstream temporary storage, the processor configured to alter the predetermined size of the advertised receive window in order to modulate the rate of packet data transmission of the data temporarily stored in the downstream temporary storage and the data temporarily stored in the upstream temporary storage.