A middleware platform for a biologically inspired network architecture supporting autonomous and adaptive applications

Abstract

Abstract-This paper describes and empirically evaluates the middleware platform of a new network architecture called the Bio-Networking Architecture. The Bio-Networking Architecture is inspired by the observation that the biological systems (e.g., bee colonies) have already developed mechanisms necessary to achieve future network requirements such as autonomy, scalability, adaptability, and simplicity. In the Bio-Networking Architecture, a network application is implemented as a group of distributed, autonomous and diverse objects called cyber-entities (CEs) (analogous to a bee colony consisting of multiple bees). Each CE implements a functional service related to the application and follows simple behaviors similar to biological entities (e.g., reproduction and migration). In the Bio-Networking Architecture, beneficial application characteristics (e.g., autonomy, scalability, adaptability, and simplicity) arise from the autonomous interaction of CEs. The middleware platform in the Bio-Networking Architecture, the bionet platform, provides reusable software components for developing, deploying, and executing CEs. The components abstract low-level operating and networking details, and implement high-level runtime services that CEs use to perform their services and behaviors. The components in the bionet platform are designed based on several biological concepts (e.g., energy exchange and pheromone emission). This paper describes key designs of the bionet platform and empirically demonstrates that the bionet platform is efficient, scalable, reusable, and significantly simplifies development of network applications.Index Terms-Autonomic computing middleware, autonomous and adaptive network applications, biologically inspired network architecture for distributed computing.

Analysis for bio-inspired thrown-box assisted message dissemination in delay tolerant networks

“…For example, swarm intelligence, a model based on ants, has attracted extensive studies for communication in self-organized networks [7,8,11,17,25]. At a more intelligent level, primate species can provide biological inspirations for the design and implementation of cooperative communications and networking protocols.…”

Federation Lifecycle Management Incorporating Coordination of Bio-inspired Self-management Processes

“…Suzuki and Suda [35], developed a bio-inspired autonomous service solution, where each service unit was modeled to fit an organisms lifecycle (e.g. services had internal energy management, ability to replicate, migrate, and reproduce with other services to produce new offspring).…”

“…Besides using biological systems to develop algorithms and protocols that could be used for developing autonomous and adaptive communication networks, a new area called biologically driven networks [35] is emerging, where real biological systems can be used to design communication systems. For example Tero et al [36] used slime moulds to emulate the design of the shortest path topology of the Greater Tokyo railway network.…”

Biologically Inspired Networking

“…It can be considered as both a paradigm and a middleware for constructing scalable, adaptive, and survivable applications [27]. The concept of emergence is taken into account by implementing network applications as a group of distributed and autonomous objects called cyber-entities (CE).…”