A baseline for internet traffic duration is established by (i) collecting internet traffic data regarding file size, server response time, packet loss and round trip time, (ii) removing from this data outliers associated with file size, server response time and packet loss per client type, and (iii) organizing any remaining data into round trip time bins according to median values of round trip time per client type. Thereafter, historical or newly collected Internet traffic data is compared against threshold values for each round trip time bin to locate duration outliers. These duration outliers are indicators of congestion and congestion episodes may be identified by the continued presence of such outliers over successive time intervals.

For each of a number of network performance metrics, an associated value r.sub.pm that represents a difference between a first correlation coefficient r.sub.1 computed for a baseline data set and a second correlation coefficient r.sub.2 computed for a second data set that includes the baseline data set and other data points classified as duration outliers is computed. The first and second correlation coefficients for each network performance metric represent correlation between that network performance metric and durations of network connections. The network performance metric that has a largest associated r.sub.pm value of all statistically significant r.sub.pm values computed is selected as representing the probable root cause of the duration outliers. Statistical significance is measured through comparison of an r.sub.pm value with a statistical property of a set of Bayesian correlation coefficients computed for each performance metric.

A transrate manager on a host computer determines if there is a limitation in network bandwidth and controls the bit-rate of streaming media content accordingly. The bit-rate is controlled by excluding types of video frames from the streaming media content and then reintroducing excluded types of video frames back into the streaming video content once the network has recovered.

A system and method to test a host bus adapter's ("HBAs") ability to handle stream of invalid characters is provided. A data presenter module presents data to a HBA without being aware of a data format. A data producer module that is aware of the data format and schedules special characters so that the HBA can perform alignment operations. A bit offset change module changes a bit offset that is used by the data presenter module and causes to send random serial data to the HBA, which results in loss of alignment in the HBA and causes the HBA to decode invalid characters.

A host bus adapter coupled to a network and a host computing system is provided. The host bus adapter includes a direct memory access ("DMA")mode detection module that receives a DMA channel identifier information from an arbitration module that receives requests from plural DMA channels, wherein the DMA mode detection module includes a DMA counter that counts a number of times a single DMA channel is exclusively serviced by the arbitration module and if the DMA counter value is equal to a threshold value, then the DMA mode detection module enables a single channel mode during which standard transaction rules are ignored for determining DMA request lengths for transferring data. The single channel mode is enabled for a certain duration. The host bus adapter includes a rule based segmentation logic that may be enabled and/or disabled by host bus adapter firmware and/or detection of a single channel mode condition.