SCTPCL: an SCTP convergence layer protocol for DTN

The Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) offers several distinct features which can be leveraged for Disruption or Delay Tolerant Networking (DTN). SCTP is able to handle an arbitrary number of independent streams in one connection---termed an association---and it also supports using multiple networking devices in one association at the same time (multi-homing). With the latter, either switching between network devices, e. g., for fail-over, or even Concurrent Multipath Transfer (CMT) is possible during a transfer. In this paper, we present SCTPCL, a Convergence Layer protocol for the Bundle Protocol, which brings these benefits to DTN implementations. We leverage the multi-streaming capability to handle priorities, such as those of the Bundle Protocol, as well as a separate control stream in parallel. Multi-homing not only enables an increased reliability, but is also especially useful for energy-aware wireless systems where a transfer may be initiated using a low-power device while for larger data it can be switched to a high bandwidth link.