MIT's Computer Software 'Remy' Lets Computer Clock TCP Thrice As Fast!

Transmission Control Protocol (TCP- the traffic-regulating system that avoids internet congestion by spewing out various algorithms) is the reason you're reading this post. While every version of TCP is evolving for better, MIT's Remy gives that evolution a nitro-boost by making it two to three times faster.


To use Remy, an internet user needs to define some pre-requisite variables- like how many users shall use this connection, or what's the bandwidth they'll be needing, what metric they want to employ for measuring performance, etc. The system then starts ruminating over various algorithms that determine what conditions work best for your work environment. Testing each and every algorithm is tiring, so what Remy does is it prioritises and looks for the smaller tweaks in the algorithms that'll make the largest jump. This 'quick' process still demands four to twelve hours.

The idea behind this concept is that a subnetwork with a high-capacity fibre on the other side of the router shall have a totally different congestion behaviour as compared to the one connected to a 3G wireless connection. And it's the limited network model of TCP that MIT's trying to resolve. Here's what they write-"For example, because TCP assumes that packet losses are due to congestion and reduces its transmission rate in response, some subnetwork designers have worked hard to hide losses. This often simply adds intolerably long packet delays. We believe that the best way to approach this question is to take the design of specific algorithmic mechanisms out of the hands of human designers (no matter how sophisticated!), and make the end-to-end algorithm be a function of the desired overall behaviour.”