System and method for improving tcp performance in virtualized environments

A system comprising:

• a processor of a machine;
• an observer module configured to observe one of a plurality of data flows for transmitting a plurality of data packets between a protocol sender and a protocol receiver using policy-based TCP stack configuration information of the protocol sender, wherein at least one of the protocol sender and the protocol receiver resides within a virtualized host;
• a data flow identification module configured to identify, using the processor of the machine, the policy-based TCP stack configuration information for the one of the plurality of data flows;
• a protocol override module configured to override, between a protocol acceleration module and the protocol receiver, the policy-based TCP stack configuration of the protocol sender with the policy-based TCP stack configuration information for the one of the plurality of data flows identified;
• and
• a transmitter module configured to transmit the one of the plurality of data flows identified using the policy-based TCP stack configuration of the protocol sender between the protocol sender and the protocol acceleration module, and using the policy-based TCP stack configuration information between the protocol acceleration module and the protocol receiver.

A system comprising:

• a processor of a machine;
• a protocol configuration module configured to create, using the processor of the machine, policy-based TCP stack configuration information for a plurality of data flows for transmitting a plurality of data packets between a protocol sender and a protocol receiver over a portion of a data path between a protocol acceleration module and the protocol receiver without modifying TCP stack configuration information of the protocol sender, wherein at least one of the protocol sender and the protocol receiver resides within a virtualized host;
• and
• a transmitting module configured to provide the policy-based TCP stack configuration information to at least one protocol acceleration module.

A tangible machine-readable storage medium having no transitory signals, and embodying instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

• observing one of a plurality of data flows used to transmit a plurality of data packets between a protocol sender and a protocol receiver using TCP stack configuration information of the protocol sender, the one of the plurality of data flows including transmitting one or more data packets, wherein at least one of the protocol sender and the protocol receiver resides within a virtualized host;
• identifying, using a processor of a machine, policy-based TCP stack configuration information for the one of the plurality of data flows;
• overriding, between a protocol acceleration module and the protocol receiver, the policy-based TCP stack configuration of the protocol sender with the policy-based TCP stack configuration information for the one of the plurality of data flows identified;
• and
• transmitting the one of the plurality of data flows identified using the policy-based TCP stack configuration of the sender between the protocol sender and the protocol acceleration module, and using the policy-based TCP stack configuration information between the protocol acceleration module and the protocol receiver.