Technical Summary
Multipath TCP (MPTCP) adds the capability of using multiple paths to
a regular TCP session. Even though it is designed to be totally
backward compatible to applications, the data transport differs
compared to regular TCP, and there are several additional degrees of
freedom that applications may wish to exploit. This document
summarizes the impact that MPTCP may have on applications, such as
changes in performance. Furthermore, it discusses compatibility
issues of MPTCP in combination with non-MPTCP-aware applications.
Finally, the document describes a basic application interface which
is a simple extension of TCP's interface for MPTCP-aware
applications.
Working Group Summary
The document was not particularly controversial. There was very good consensus in the WG about the document. The document has been stable for quite a while, since it was decided to advance it in parallel with the MPTCP protocol.
Document Quality
The dcoument has been reviewed within the WG. Michael Tüxen (SCTP author) provided an expert review. There was also a WG last call, which resulted in some clarifications.
An implementation of the protocol is publicly available, and other implementations are in progress. The API for MPTCP-aware applications has not been implemented to our knowledge.
Personnel
The document shepherd is Philip Eardley. The Responsible Area Director is Wes Eddy.