ABSTRACT

No abstract

As Mobile IP is deployed, so the requirements for its deployment evolve, reflecting the actual use of IP networks today. This includes the ability to use Mobile IP with IPsec, NATs and multi-homed networks. Furthermore, new requirements arise as people start to use IP in scenarios where the whole network is mobile (e.g. military networks), and where edge-networks may not be IP-enabled (e.g. sensor networks), but there is a requirement to interoperate across an IP network. In all these cases, rather than engineering retro-fits, creating an increasingly complex network landscape with possible unforeseen feature interactions and dependencies, we would prefer an integrated architectural solution. We present, from our ongoing work, a solution that would seem to meet all these needs, through a modified use of naming and addressing. Our proposal is incrementally deployable and existing core network routers & routing protocols need not change.

At present, military communications within battlefields are very restricted, both by policy and due to technology limitations. In Southwest Asia today, there are needlessly long and complex communications paths, often involving multiple relays and use of constrained-bandwidth MILSATCOM back-haul outside the theatre, when nearby forces could communicate directly via existing interoperable radios. This is a current problem for NATO and Coalition forces. The current Internet Protocol suite lacks core support for mobility, scalable support for multi-homed nodes, and does not provide the capabilities needed for optimal communications in forward operating areas. We propose a coalition-based, multi-homed approach leveraging both local-area and wide-area connectivity, improving both the flexibility and robustness of communication, without conflicting with the security policy of sensitive communication. The Coalition Peering Domain (CPD), is a distributed, self-configuring architecture that supports the secure, collaborative networking relationships needed to provide this flexibility and robustness. The CPD facilitates the inter-connection of cooperating, but administratively separate, network segments. The CPD exploits multi-homed and multi-path communication to better-utilise all available connectivity. The Identifier-Locator Network Protocol (ILNP) provides native support for improved scalability in multi-homing and mobility, while easing use of network layer security and allowing inter-operation across different administrative domains. Our approach is compatible with current work in Mobile Ad-Hoc Networking (MANET). ILNP has excellent compatibility with IPv6: existing IPv6 backbone networks do not require any modification to carry ILNP traffic natively. There are practical, realistic and deployable engineering solutions to realise the CPD and ILNP within the framework of IPv6.

Abstract-Albeit the conception of relaying dates back to the 1970s, in recent years there has been an upsurge of search interest in cooperative wireless communications in both academia and industry. This article presents an easy-reading overview of the pivotal topics in both mobile station (MS) and base station (BS) assisted cooperation in the context of cellular radio systems. Owing to the ever-increasing amount of literature in this particular field, this paper is by no means exhaustive, but intends to serve as a roadmap for this area by assembling a representative sample of recent results and to stimulate further research. The emphasis is initially on relay-base cooperation, relying on network coding, followed by the design of cross-layer cooperative protocols conceived for MS cooperation, as well as on the concept of coalition network element assisted BS cooperation. Then, a range of complexity and backhaul traffic reduction techniques that have been proposed for BS cooperation are reviewed. A more detailed discussion is provided in the context of MS cooperation concerning the pros and cons of dispensing with high-complexity, power-hungry channel estimation. Finally, generalized design guidelines, conceived for cooperative wireless communications, are presented.