FEC-Integrated Network Traffic Shaping Using the NIProxy

Optimizing the satisfaction of users of distributed applications is an important yet non-trivial task. Data corruption incurred during network transmission plays a significant role in this context since it is likely to result in user frustration. As a countermeasure, Forward Error Correction (FEC) schemes complement source data with redundant information to enable data recovery at destination-side. This paper discusses the inclusion of adaptive parity-based FEC support in the NIProxy, a context-aware network intermediary which introduces network traffic shaping and multimedia service provision functionality in IP-based networks as tools to influence the user experience. Since FEC coding increases the load on the transportation network, an integrated approach with the NIProxy’s network traffic shaping mechanism was adhered to enable deliberate FEC control and to guarantee the bandwidth overhead it introduces is justified. Representative experimental results confirm the validity of our approach and prove that, if applied in a well-considered manner, FEC coding is able to beneficially affect user experience and is hence a valuable addition to the NIProxy’s feature list.