NetInf TP: A receiver-driven protocol for ICN data transport

Media distribution is an important part of today´s Internet. In this paper, we have designed and developed a prototype of NetInf TP, a transport protocol for information-centric architectures that aims to address the limitations of data access and retrieval of the existing host-based transport protocols. As a receiver-driven protocol, NetInf TP allows for multiple senders and receivers of the same data, and its design enables the integration of intermediate caching functionality. This will reduce the download times of content, particularly larger items, which can be retrieved from several sources. The protocol provides reliable data transfer with congestion control, including a new type of retransmission mechanism. Initial simulations and assessment of NetInf TP performance in a constrained environment, with several inter-operating NetInf TP and other TCP flows, demonstrate that NetInf TP is a promising candidate for ICN networks.