Although each side has indicated the maximum size of its receive window, it is recommended that a slow start method be used to begin transmitting data. The initial window size on the transmitter is set to half the maximum size the receiver requested, with a minimum size of one packet. The transmitter stops sending packets when the number of packets awaiting acknowledgment is equal to the current window size. As the receiver successfully digests each window, the window size on the transmitter is bumped up by one packet until the maximum is reached. This method prevents a system from flooding an already congested network because no history has been established.