Implementation

  In principle, it should be straightforward to implement the loss deduction algorithms we have described. However, in most systems it is quite difficult to do so without modifying the kernel and developing a portable application-level solution is quite a challenge. We observe that the same problem is true for any user-level implementation of TCP. The principle difficulty is that most operating systems do not provide a mechanism for redirecting packets to a user application and consequently the application is forced to coordinate its actions with the host operating system's TCP implementation. In this section we will briefly describe the implementation difficulties and explain how our current prototype functions.