Survivable and Disruption Tolerant Networking Issues Challenges and Research Directions 2005

Abstract:  This presentation surveys the issues and challenges in enhancing network survivability and providing application-toapplic ation disruption tolerance, with emphasis on mobile wireless and long-delay communication. Conventional fault tolerance methods are necessary but not sufficient for survivability, since failures due to a coordinated attack are not random. Interlayer awareness (knobs and dials) is required for lower layers to convey their state upward, and for users and upper layers to exert influence downward. A systematic approach is required on three levels: 1. Survivable network architectures that: ? establish and maintain survivable topologies that strive to keep the network connected even under attack ? design for communication in challenging environments in which the path from source to destination is not wholly available at any given instant in time; this requires new routing and forwarding mechanisms ? the use of technology to enhance survivability such as adaptive networks and satellites 2. End-to-end (transport) protocols that are able to deal with weak, intermittent, and episodically connected and asymmetric channels, and are able to properly respond to channel-induced errors. 3. Adaptive applications that rely on knobs and dials from the network through the application to allow the user to influence the behaviour of the application based on network conditions, to best deal with and mask disruptions and delay.