PAGE CONTENTS
Objectives
Performance Enhancement Proxies (PEPs) are key elements for meeting basic performance requirements for interactive Internet usage via satellite.
Accordingly, the SatLabs group has produced the specification for an Interoperable PEP (I-PEP). The objective of the activity is to develop an alternative congestion control scheme [to both standard TCP and TCP Vegas currently included into I-PEP stack], fully interoperable with the I-PEP specification and specifically aimed at optimizing web browsing performance in the I-PEP environment, while maintaining good performance for other TCP traffic such as large files. The resulting transport protocol will be named "TCP Noordwijk".
The output of the activity will be a full specification of the new transport protocol, validated by simulation, together with a prototype implementation. A exhaustive test campaign, involving both DVB-RCS network emulators and real DVB-RCS systems, will be performed in order to evaluate protocol performance and verify the matching with the project requirements. Protocol implementation will rely on the Mitre SCPS-TP implementation.
Challenges
The ITT addresses an important issue that can be considered as an enabling technology for the successful market uptake of satellite services for Internet access. Although threatened in the volume of traffic it generates by the growing importance of video streaming over the Internet, web browsing is still one of the main Internet applications. Even in a scenario of huge growth of video traffic, web browsing will expectedly remain as an important usage of the Internet. The commercial acceptance of Internet browsing over satellite depends critically on finding mechanisms for a satisfactory subjective browsing experience.
Plan
The project has been divided into two phases:
Phase 1: Analysis, design and preliminary validation of the protocol.
- Task 1: Analysis and Design
- Task 2: Preliminary Validation
Phase 2: Implementation of prototype software. Detailed validation of the protocol.
- Task 3: Prototype Development
- Task 4: Final Validation and Performance Testing
Current Status
The project started on 1st November 2006.
Phase 2 of the project is completed, including:
- Prototype Development,
- Software Testing,
- Validation and Performance Testing on emulated environment,
- Final Validation and Performance Testing on real DVB-RCS link.
The result of phase 2 shows performance increases compared to classic transport protocols were evident in most of the testing conditions with regard, for instance, to throughput reached by TCP-Noodwijk connections against TCP-Vegas default transport protocol in VBDC DAMA. These results have suggested a project extension in order to verify the interoperability of TCP-Noordwijk implementation with a commercial I-PEP.
This project allows us to experiment with a relevant international collaboration between the private industry and excellence coming from the Academic world, joining the high competence and capacity of theorizing and designing with the experience in the development of solution market oriented. In this framework, a very important role is represented by ESA as scientific driver, funding entity and a reference point for the European scientific and industrial entities.