Framework for application-level adaptation of media streams transmitted using DCCP Protocol

This paper discusses API design for unreliable data streaming (in particular media streaming) using datagram congestion control protocol over best effort networks. Compared to many attempts at adjusting the existing socket API to DCCP characteristics, our API has been implemented in the user space. The resulting pluggable framework allows application developers to provide and easily deploy their own queuing policies for handling specific media streams. One of the main goals of queuing policies is adaptation of the stream volume to continuously changing network conditions with no necessity to involve the data source. Two sample queuing policies developed by us address audio and video transmissions. The presented results of tests prove usefulness and correctness of the platform. The API has been implemented in C# programming language for Linux platform.