A timer-based connection management protocol with synchronized clocks and its verification

Connection management ensures that each message of a connection is accepted at-most-once and that a connection is not closed before all messages and acknowledgements are received. We introduce a connection management protocol that is based on timers, the use of approximately synchronized clocks, and unique connection identifiers. Synchronized clocks support accurate end-to-end lifetime enforcement and, in combination with unique connection identifiers, simplify duplicate detection after recovery from a failure. Our protocol has the following desirable characteristics: (1) no extra messages for connection setup or release, (2) no connection setup latency, (3) fast connection state release, and (4) immediate resumption of communication after an endsystem failure.