A load-sharing scheme in transport layer for improving throughput

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a transport layer load distribution mechanism utilizing the multiple network interfaces simultaneously. We specifically propose an extension of Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) to have load sharing over multiple network interfaces. We named the particular service provided by the proposed load sharing mechanism to be LSMS (Load Sharing Mode Service). We show through simulations that LSMS of SCTP effectively performs bandwidth aggregation even when the difference of the properties of the paths, such as the delay and bandwidth, is large.