Applying network coding to TCP

Abstract

In this thesis, I contribute to the design and implemention of a new TCP-like protocol, CTCP, that uses network coding to provide better network use of the network bandwidth in a wireless environment. CTCP provides the same guarantees as TCP whilst providing significant enhancements to previous TCP implementations, such as permitting multipath packet delivery. CTCP's flow and congestion control policies are based on those of TCP Reno and TCP Vegas, which allow for prompt recovery from packet erasures and cope with congested networks. Unlike previous attempts at using network coding with TCP, this implementation uses block coding schemes, which are better suited to delay sensitive applications. As a result, CTCP permits content streaming. Overall, the efficient integration of network coding into CTCP allows for improved robustness against erasures as well as efficient content delivery over multiple paths.