Active queue management （AQM） can maintain smaller queuing delay and higher throughput by purposefully dropping packets at intermediate nodes. Most of the existing AQM schemes follow the probability dropping mechanism originating from random early detection （RED）. This paper develops a novel packet dropping mechanism for AQM through designing an ONOFF controller applying the variable structure control theory. Because the binary ONOFF controller can considerably simplify the manipulation on the AQM router, it is helpful for implementing the high performance router. The design principles of ONOFF controller are discussed in detail. The guidelines towards parameter settings are presented. The performance is extensively evaluated and compared with other well-known controllers through simulations and theoretical analysis. The results demonstrate that the ONOFF controller is responsive and robust against external disturbances, and is insensitive to variances of the system parameters. Therefore, it is very suitable for the time- varying network system, and at the same time, it can also keep the instantaneous queue length at a desired level with rather small oscillations, which is conducive to achieving the technical objectives of AQM.
