I-TCP: Indirect TCP for Mobile Hosts

IP-based solutions to accommodate mobile hosts within existing internetworks do not address the distinctive features of wireless mobile computing. IP-based transport protocols thus suffer from poor performance when a mobile host communicates with a host on the fixed network. This is caused by frequent disruptions in network layer connectivity due to — i) mobility and ii) unreliable nature of the wireless link. We describe the design and implementation of I-TCP, which is an indirect transport layer protocol for mobile hosts. I-TCP utilizes the resources of Mobility Support Routers (MSRs) to provide transport layer communication between mobile hosts and hosts on the fixed network. With I-TCP, the problems related to mobility and the unreliability of wireless link are handled entirely within the wireless link; the TCP/IP software on the fixed hosts is not modified. Using I-TCP on our testbed, the throughput between a fixed host and a mobile host improved substantially in comparison to regular TCP.Technical report DCS-TR-31