METTLE: Efficient Streaming Erasure Code with Peeling Decodability

TL;DR

METTLE is a novel erasure code that achieves high efficiency, low complexity, and streaming capabilities with significantly faster decoding than existing solutions, addressing a key open problem in coding theory.

Contribution

We introduce METTLE, the first erasure code to simultaneously optimize for efficiency, low decoding latency, and low complexity, solving a long-standing open problem.

Findings

METTLE is 47.7 to 84.6 times faster to decode than streaming RaptorQ.

METTLE maintains near-optimal coding efficiency.

It satisfies all three key requirements: efficiency, low complexity, and streaming capability.

Abstract

In this work, we solve a long-standing open problem in coding theory with broad applications in networking and systems: designing an erasure code that simultaneously satisfies three requirements: (1) high coding efficiency, (2) low coding complexity, and (3) being a streaming code (defined as one with low decoding latency). We propose METTLE (Multi-Edge Type with Touch-less Leading Edge), the first erasure code to meet all three requirements. Compared to "streaming RaptorQ" (RaptorQ configured with a small source block size to ensure a low decoding latency), METTLE is only slightly worse in coding efficiency, but 47.7 to 84.6 times faster to decode.