A content can be replicated in more than one node, in Information Centric Networks (ICNs). Thus, more than one path can be followed to reach the same content, and it is necessary to decide the interface(s) to be selected in every network node to forward content requests towards such multiple content containers. A multipath forwarding strategy defines how to perform this choice. In this paper we propose a general analytical model to evaluate the effect of multipath forwarding strategies on the performance of an ICN content delivery, whose congestion control follows a receiver driven, loss-based AIMD scheme. We use the model to understand the behavior of ICN multipath forwarding strategies proposed in the literature so far, and to devise and evaluate a novel strategy. The considered multipath forwarding strategies are also evaluated in a realistic network setting, by using the PlanetLab testbed.
 The evolution of the Internet into a distributed Information access system calls for a paradigm shift to enable an evolvable future network architecture. Information-Centric Networking (ICN) proposals rethink the communication model around named data, in contrast with the host-centric transport view of TCP IP. Information retrieval is natively pull-based, driven by user requests, point-to-multipoint and intrinsically coupled with in-network caching. In this paper, we tackle the problem of joint multipath congestion control and request forwarding in ICN for the first time. We formulate it as a global optimization problem with the twofold objective of maximizing user throughput and minimizing overall network cost. We solve it via decomposition and derive a family of optimal congestion control strategies at the receiver and of distributed algorithms for dynamic request forwarding at network nodes. An experimental evaluation of our proposal is carried out in different network scenarios to assess the performance of our design and to highlight the benefits of an ICN approach. Data communication across the Internet has significantly changed under the pressure of massive content delivery. Content-Centric Networking (CCN) rethinks Internet communication paradigm around named data retrieval, in contrast with the host-to-host transport model of TCP IP. Content retrieval is natively pull-based driven by user requests, point-to-multipoint and intrinsically coupled with the availability of network storage. By leveraging the key features of CCN transport, in this paper we propose for the first time a congestion control mechanism realizing efficient multipath communication over content-centric networks. Our proposal is based on a Remote Adaptive Active Queue Management (RAAQM) at the receiver that performs a per-route control of bottleneck queues along the paths. We analyze the stability of the proposed solution and assess its performance by means of CCN packet-level simulations under random and optimal route selection. Content Centric Networking (CCN) is a recently proposed information-centric Internet architecture in which the main network abstraction is represented by location-agnostic content identifiers instead of node identifiers. In CCN each content object is divided into packet-size chunks. When a content object is transferred, routers on the path can cache single chunks which they can use to serve subsequent requests from other users. Since content chunks in CCN may be retrieved from a number of different nodes caches, implicit-feedback transport protocols will not be able to work efficiently, because it is not possible to set an appropriate timeout value based on RTT estimations given that the data source may change frequently during a flow. In order to address this problem, we propose in this paper a scalable, implicit-feedback congestion control protocol, capable of coping with RTT unpredictability using a novel anticipated interests mechanism to predict the location of chunks before they are actually served. Our evaluation shows that our protocol outperforms similar receiver-driven protocols, in particular when content chunks are scattered across network paths due to reduced cache sizes, long-tail content popularity distribution or the adoption of specific caching policies. The Content Centric Network (CCNx) protocol introduces a new routing and forwarding paradigm for the waist of the future Internet architecture. Below CCN, a volatile set of transport and flow-control strategies is envisioned, which can match better different service requirements, than current TCP IP technology does. Although a broad range of possibilities has not been explored yet, there are already several proponents of strategies that come close to TCP's well-known flow control mechanism (timeout-driven, window-based, and AIMD- operated). In this paper, we carry out an empirical exploration of some proposed strategies in order to assert their feasibility and efficiency. Our contributions are twofold: First, we establish if receiver-based, timeout-driven, AIMD operated flow-control on Interest transmissions is sufficiently effective for CCN in a future Internet deployment, where it may co-exist with TCP. In this process we compare the performance of three different variants of this strategy, in presence of multi-homed content in the network (one of them proposed by the authors). Second, we provide indicators for the general efficiency of timeout-based flow-control at the CCN receiver, in presence of in-network caching, and exhibit some of the challenges faced by such strategies. Reliable transport protocols such as TCP are tuned to perform well in traditional networks where packet losses occur mostly because of congestion. However, networks with wireless and other lossy links also suffer from significant losses due to bit errors and handoffs. TCP responds to all losses by invoking congestion control and avoidance algorithms, resulting in degraded end-to end performance in wireless and lossy systems. We compare several schemes designed to improve the performance of TCP in such networks. We classify these schemes into three broad categories: end-to-end protocols, where loss recovery is performed by the sender; link-layer protocols that provide local reliability; and split-connection protocols that break the end-to-end connection into two parts at the base station. We present the results of several experiments performed in both LAN and WAN environments, using throughput and goodput as the metrics for comparison. Our results show that a reliable link-layer protocol that is TCP-aware provides very good performance. Furthermore, it is possible to achieve good performance without splitting the end-to-end connection at the base station. We also demonstrate that selective acknowledgments and explicit loss notifications result in significant performance improvements.