A survey of light-weight transport protocols for high-speed networks

A comparative survey is presented of techniques used at the transport layer in eight representative protocols, most of which were designed to improve the protocol processing rate. The protocols are the relevant portions of the APPN, Datakit, Delta-t, NETBLT, OSI/TP4, TCP, VMTP, and XTP architectures. The protocols are described, and the functions under consideration are defined. No distinction is made as to whether these functions are carried out in a LAN, MAN, or WAN environment. The objective is to provide reliable, end-to-end transmission of data. The mechanisms required to support connection management, acknowledgements, flow control, and error handling are examined. Suitable techniques for designing light-weight transport protocols are identified. A discussion is presented as to which technique seems the most promising