Socket Intents: Extending the Socket API to Express Application Needs

In today’s internet, almost all end devices have multiple interfaces built in, which enable them to switch between different access networks or even use them simultaneously. Having different characteristics, some of them may be more suitable for certain kinds of traffic, and therefore better meet the requirements of certain applications. To account for this, current solutions rely on static policies or reactive approaches to choosing between interfaces. This thesis proposes a proactive, application informed approach, Socket Intents. Socket Intents augment the socket interface to enable the application to express its communication preferences. This information can then be used by proactive policies to choose the appropriate interface, tune the network parameters, or even combine multiple interfaces. In this work, a prototype implementation of Socket Intents and a framework supporting them is presented. Furthermore, a first evaluation of the Intents and its benefits is conducted. We find that Socket Intents may improve the possibilities to take advantage of one’s multiple interfaces.