How to Improve TCP Performance in Modern Network Systems

2. The Power of eBPF in the Linux Kernel

The Linux kernel serves as the backbone for countless systems—from web servers and routers to smartphones and embedded devices. In recent years, a remarkable innovation called eBPF (extended Berkeley Packet Filter) has transformed the kernel’s capabilities.

Introduced in 2014, eBPF allows developers to execute custom programs safely within the kernel itself. Think of it as a programmable brain inside the kernel—one that can observe, analyze, and even modify networking behavior in real time.

The flexibility of eBPF has enabled powerful features like:

• Fine-grained network monitoring
• Packet filtering and forwarding
• Performance profiling
• Security auditing

A recent documentary chronicles eBPF’s journey from a packet filter to a general-purpose in-kernel VM. For students and developers, learning how to write eBPF programs opens up advanced opportunities for kernel-aware packet processing—a valuable skill in both research and industry.

3. Sending Packets Faster in Go with eBPF

Performance in user-space applications also matters, especially when dealing with real-time packet processing in high-level languages like Go. Networking expert Andree Toonk explored techniques to increase packet transmission speed using Go, and one of the standout methods involves—you guessed it—eBPF.

By offloading certain networking tasks to eBPF programs within the kernel, applications written in Go can achieve lower latency and higher throughput. This is especially relevant for students exploring user-kernel interaction models and those developing custom network tools or firewalls in modern languages.

4. Undersea Cable Disruptions: The Red Sea Incident

The Internet may seem intangible, but its infrastructure is deeply physical. A recent example of this came when three optical fiber cables in the Red Sea were damaged, leading to significant disruptions in the data path between Marseille and Singapore.

This incident forced ISPs to reroute traffic across alternative paths, highlighting the vulnerability of international communication lines. Repairing undersea cables is an expensive and logistically complex process that can take weeks or even months, especially in politically sensitive or difficult-to-access waters.

This real-world scenario is a great case study for networking students examining fault tolerance, resilience, and BGP route adaptation.

5. TLS Certificates: From Expensive Authority to Open Infrastructure

Transport Layer Security (TLS) is foundational for Internet privacy and encryption. Initially, TLS certificates could only be acquired from certification authorities (CAs) at a premium price, which posed a barrier to wide-scale adoption.

The tide turned with the advent of Let’s Encrypt, a nonprofit CA that offers free and automated TLS certificates. Today, anyone can secure their website using tools that support the ACME protocol (Automatic Certificate Management Environment).

Yet even with Let’s Encrypt, users must still install and configure ACME clients manually. According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the next frontier involves integrating ACME modules directly into major web servers, eliminating friction in TLS deployment altogether.

Students interested in web security, certificate lifecycles, or PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) will find this development critical to understanding the practical aspects of HTTPS deployment.

6. Web Check: Auditing Your Server the Smart Way

Securing a web server involves more than just installing a certificate. Enter Web Check, an open-source utility that performs an exhaustive audit of your server’s configuration, checking for:

• TLS compliance
• DNS record accuracy
• HTTP headers
• Redirection logic
• And more…

For students working on network security projects, DevOps automation, or system hardening, Web Check provides a hands-on way to analyze and fix common misconfigurations. It’s also a good way to demonstrate compliance in academic labs or mock audits.

7. netlab: Building Virtual Network Labs at Scale

Want to simulate a complex enterprise network without investing in hardware? netlab is your new best friend.

This Python-based toolkit enables the creation of virtual network topologies using vendor images and open-source daemons like BIRD and DNSMasq. The latest version supports emulation of up to 50 devices on a server with 128 GB RAM and 32 CPU cores.

For students doing hands-on projects in routing protocols, subnetting, or virtual lab design, netlab is an essential tool. It allows full-scale testing of OSPF, BGP, DNS and other protocols in a controlled environment, making it ideal for both experimentation and exam preparation.

8. Starlink Latency Improvements: What Satellite Can Teach Us

Latency is the Achilles' heel of satellite-based Internet services. However, engineers at Starlink have recently managed to reduce latency dramatically across their commercial offerings.

By optimizing the ground station configuration, routing logic, and orbital satellite communication, Starlink's network now boasts latency numbers competitive with terrestrial fiber in many regions. A recent technical paper provides insight into how these improvements were achieved—an excellent read for students studying delay-tolerant networks (DTNs), routing optimization, or satellite-ground data relays.

9. Time Synchronization and the NTP Pool Project

Precise timekeeping is crucial for secure networking. The NTP (Network Time Protocol) Pool Project supports over 4,000 public time servers, offering time sync services used by servers, routers, and IoT devices worldwide.

A new scientific study dives deep into this project, analyzing usage patterns, synchronization accuracy, and global reach. This is especially relevant for students working on time-sensitive applications, log correlation, or security protocols that rely on synchronized clocks (like Kerberos or certificate validation).

Understanding how time synchronization works on the Internet is no longer optional—it’s fundamental.