Ambient Networks represent a new networking concept that aims to allow the cooperation of heterogeneous networks belonging to different operators or technology domains. It will enable a wide range of user and business communication scenarios beyond today’s fixed, 3rd generation mobile and IP standards.
The main characteristics of an Ambient Network are:
- Heterogeneity
- Mobility
- Composability
- All-IP Network
Ambient Networks are based on a federation of multiple networks of different operators and technologies;
In dynamically composed network architectures, mobility of user group clusters would support effective local communication. An Ambient Network mobility solution will have to work well across business and administrative boundaries, which requires solutions for ensuring the security of inter-domain operation;
An Ambient Network can be dynamically composed of several other networks. Cooperating Ambient Networks could potentially belong to separate administrative or economic entities. Hence, Ambient Networks provide network services in a cooperative as well as competitive way;
Ambient Networks* are based on all-IP based mobile networks and can be regarded as the outcome of a continued adoption of Internet design principles.
*The key concept of ambient networks is network composition. Networks establish internetworking agreements on-demand without human interaction. Network composition will provide access to any network instantly anywhere at any time.
As Ambient Networks compose and decompose the topology and traffic patterns can change rapidly. This means that one cannot rely only on long-term network planning and dimensioning that are done when the network is first built. Traffic engineering mechanisms may be needed to adapt to changes in topology and traffic demand and dynamically distribute traffic to benefit from available resources.
In fact, instant network composition brings new challenges in routing traffic through the network, mostly when considering composition of mobile networks. Dealing with mobile hosts introduces an important issue: in order to route a packet to a mobile host, the network first has to find it. There are at least three kinds of routing problems or scenarios to be treated in AN approach: composition of fixed networks; composition of fixed and mobile networks; and composition of mobile networks. Hence, this project aims to evaluating the current routing algorithms and proposing a new one that is appropriate to AN context.
Routing Ambient Network 2 – Overview
Ambient Networks (AN) represent a new networking concept allowing the cooperation of heterogeneous networks belonging to different operators or technology domains. It will enable a wide range of user and business communication scenarios beyond today fixed, 3rd generation mobile and IP standards. The key concept of ambient networks is network composition. As Ambient Networks compose and decompose the topology and traffic patterns can change rapidly. Given the natural heterogeneous environment of AN, routing is more challenging compared to routing in currently deployed networks. New routing protocols must be created to address this new paradigm in order to effectively and efficiently forward packets inside and among the AN’s.
In the previous project (henceforth known as RAN), a set of routing protocols was created based on the requirements for routing in AN defined in Error: Reference source not found. These protocols were specified, formalized and simulated and were deemed usable for AN’s. A negotiation protocol which is responsible, among other tasks, for negotiating the best routing protocol for the current AN environment was also developed and integrated to the routing system. Although the protocols were designed according to the AN requirements, the development did not take into consideration the dynamic aspects of the composition process and the effect that ongoing policy negotiation would have on the routing system.
The main aims of the proposed project are to:
- Propose an algorithm to make a decision on what routing protocol to select following a (de-) composition of type network integration or control sharing;
- Propose an algorithm and/or method for negotiate policies during the composition process and translate them for the routing level;
- Evaluate the expected degradation of especially routing performance when policies are a parameter in routing decisions and how this might possibly be mitigated;
- Evaluate and propose suitable routing policies that can be used in an AN-like environment.
- Measure the effects (e.g. reconfiguration and the possibility of instabilities) on the routing system following a (de-)composition or renegotiation of an existing CA resulting in a change of routing policies and propose how such effects can be mitigated;