Transparent communication management in wireless networks

Wireless networks are characterized by the generally low quality of service (QoS) that they provide. In the face of user mobility between heterogeneous networks, distributed applications designed for the higher and less variable QoS of wired networks have difficulty operating. Proxy systems provide one solution to this problem. By placing an intermediary on the communication path between wired and wireless hosts, communication streams can be manipulated for transmission using the available QoS. However, some applications, can or will not be modified for use with a proxy due to a lack of code or resources. This position paper proposes a new proxy model in which services can be applied to communication streams without interfering with the operation of the associated application or communication protocols. A proxy architecture which supports autonomous and third party control of filters is presented, and a new class of filters that allow transparent modification of packet data is illustrated with a transparency-support filter for TCP