Multipath TCP proxy: Unshackling network nodes from today’s end-to-end connection principle

Abstract

Nowadays, mobile devices are equipped with multiple radio interfaces, data centers provide redundant routing paths, and multihoming is the new tendency in existing, extensive server farms. Meanwhile, the unending growth rate of Internet traffic generation raises difficulties in meeting end user demands regarding bandwidth availability and Quality of Service standards, while TCP itself persists as a single-path transport protocol. Multipath TCP, as a set of extensions to legacy TCP, permits the simultaneous utilization of the available interfaces on a multihomed host, while preserving the standard TCP socket API. Consequently, smart terminals possess the distinct capability of leveraging path diversity in order to provide robust data transfers and enhance the overall connection performance. However, the implementation of Multipath TCP is still at a premature state. Ergo, we propose and evaluate a Multipath TCP Proxy as a mechanism towards the incremental adaptation of the extended protocol by service delivery platforms. Particularly, we examine the use of an HTTP Proxy as a protocol converter that will allow MPTCP-enabled clients to benefit from Multipath TCP even when communicating with legacy servers.