RocketStream Overview
Technology
RocketStream Client
RocketStream Station
RocketStream Server
Speed, Security, Reliability, Simplicity, Automation, Compression
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RocketStream uses its own protocol instead of the TCP protocol normally used by FTP. Because the RocketStream Protocol is much less susceptible to network latency than TCP, RocketStream can offer a huge speed improvement. Over large data pipes and in high-latency environments, this improvement can be up to 30 times faster!
Unlike some other “send-and-pray” protocols, RocketStream’s file transfers are checked at the receiving end, and if packets are corrupted in transfer, they are re-transmitted. This means that a file received over a RocketStream link is an exact copy of the original source file. RocketStream won’t declare a file as “received” until complete CRC checks are confirmed.
RocketStream encrypts every connection session with a unique, highly secure encryption key. At the user’s option, RocketStream can also encrypt the payload being transferred in that session, making your data transfers highly secure.
When we say that RocketStream is easy to use, we mean it. The RocketStream Client and Station clients take about five minutes to install and require virtually no training to use.
Beyond simply transferring files on demand, RocketStream is also capable of transferring entire directory trees, synchronizing folders, mirroring, scheduling recurring jobs, or monitoring hot folders. All of these functions can be set up from a simple, intuitive menu.
While RocketStream’s primary function is acceleration, RocketStream provides an added speed boost through its lossless, on-the-fly compression. Think of it as the turbo button, giving an extra boost to your data.The RocketStream Protocol
RocketStream combines the best of two proprietary protocols: RocketStream’s own variation of UDP and RocketStream’s parallel implementation of TCP, called Parallel Delivery Protocol (PDP). In both of these cases, RocketStream ensures efficiency, complete reliability, and rock-solid security though real-time encryption, compression, and verification of digital payloads.
Unlike conventional UDP, RocketStream’s implementation is completely reliable, ensuring that every packet sent is received intact. And unlike standard TCP, PDP multiplies the number of concurrent TCP threads used to implement a connection, thereby greatly increasing throughput in the face of network latency. RocketStream's packet management engine, built into every RocketStream server and client implementation, utilizes performance-tuned circular buffers for efficient packet creation, ordering, verification, and payload extraction services. RocketStream leverages both asymmetric and symmetric encryption technologies at the protocol layer to protect sensitive data and key client communications to specific servers.
Architecture
RocketStream's server architecture is based on a multi-threaded asynchronous I/O design to provide blistering performance while supporting thousands of concurrent requests simultaneously.
Instead of a traditional thread-per-session architecture that starves precious server resources as the number of connections (and threads) increases, RocketStream leverages multiple worker thread pools to respond to communication, application, and timing events asynchronously.
Developing software around asynchronous designs can be daunting and complex. Instead of developing linear "blocking" program logic, the software designer must learn to develop in a command-response model that is non-blocking. To simplify the transition for developers without compromising server performance, RocketStream employs a "plug-in" protocol architecture that insulates the internal thread management, messaging, and timing layers from the application design, and provides enhanced protocol functions that mirror many of the blocking concepts that developers are accustomed to using.
RocketStream's server core also provides enhanced port and transport management to allow connected clients (or "sessions") to operate within the same virtual server instance, even when communicating over different transports or ports. This allows, for example, collaboration applications to centrally control messaging, access, presence monitoring, and permissions even when clients are connecting over TCP, PDP, and UDP simultaneously, and into different server ports in order to bypass local firewall restrictions.