A Delay-Tolerant Network Architecture

for Challenged Internets

SIGCOMM03
Kevin Fall (kfall@intel-research.net)
Intel Research, Berkeley

Nov. 26, 2003

Presented by Sookhyun, Yang
 Contents
Introduction

Background

Challenges for Internetworking

Delay Tolerant Networking (DTN)

Application Interface

Conclusion

Computer Network Lab Lab Seminar 2003 2

 Introduction (1/2)
TCP/IP based Internet
Packet-switched model
Implicit assumption
End-to-end path between source and destination node exits
Maximum round-trip time between any node pairs in the network is not
excessive
End-to-end packet drop probability is small

Challenged network
Violate one or more of Internets assumptions
Very long delay path
Frequent network partitions, etc..
Have their own specialized protocol stacks
Have naming semantics for their particular application domain
Not be well served by the current end-to-end TCP/IP

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 Introduction (2/2)
Challenged network (contd)
Examples
Terrestrial mobile networks
Exotic media networks
Military ad-hoc networks
sensor/actuator networks

In this paper
Achieve interoperability between very diverse networks
Propose a network architecture and application interface
Form an internetworking of challenged internets

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 Background
Overview of Challenged networks
Mobile network
MH Ad hoc network

FA
Movement

FA

Sink

MH FA
Sensor field
Sensor network

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 Challenges for Internetworking
Path and link characteristics
High latency, low data rates
Disconnection
Faulty
Non-faulty : motion and low-duty-cycle operation
Long queuing times
Need to be stored for potentially long periods of time at routers

Network architectures
Interoperability considerations
Security
Endpoint involving security is not very attractive

End system characteristics

Limited longevity
Conventional end-to-end acknowledgement for reliable delivery should be delegated
Low duty cycle operation
Scheduling a-priori in concert with path selection
Limited resources
Do not necessarily have to wait for an end-to-end acknowledgement

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 Delay Tolerant Networking (1/3)
Characteristics
Operate as an overlay above the existing transport layers
Based on an abstraction of message switching
Bundle
Bundle forwarder (DTN gateway)
Store-and-forward gateway function between different networks

source DTN gateway DTN gateway destination

Constituent of DTN architecture

Region
Similar network stack and addressing
DTN gateway
Interconnection point between region boundaries
Logically two of halves
Name Tuple
{Region name, Entity name}

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 Delay Tolerant Networking (2/3)
Architecture

Region A - Internet
data

{B, R2} Region D

data {A, R2}
{A, R1}

{D, R4} data

Region B Sensor network
{C, R4}

Region C - Intranet
UserHost
{B, R3} {C, R3}
{A, UserHost}
data

DTN gateway

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Delay Tolerant Networking

DTN Gateway (1/5)

Routing (path scheduling) and message scheduling
End-to-end routing path cannot be assumed to exist
Route
Cascade of time-dependent contacts (communication opportunity) from source to
destination
Contact = {start_time, end_time, }
Measure contacts predictability
Select the next message to be sent
Choose next-hop forwarders
RPC Server

DTN Scheduling and Message Forwarding

Application
Internet SensorNet Other
Database
DTN library+RPC Convergence Convergence Convergence
Manager
Layer Layer Layer

Sockets Sensor Net API

TDP UDP SCTP

Sensor Network Other Transport
File Stack Or File
Store (TBD) Raw Protocols Store
IP (TBD)

Bundle Serial Bundle

data 802.3 802.11 Other Port data

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Delay Tolerant Networking

DTN Gateway (2/5)

Class of service (CoS)
Priority-based resource allocation
US Postal Service
Non-interactive
Coarse granularity and intuitive character : low, ordinary, high
Option of reliable delivery
Handled differently by the routing system
Persistent storage
Custody transfer

Custody transfer and reliability

Two distinct types of message routing nodes
Persistent (P)
Non-persistent (NP)
Hop-by-hop reliability
Acknowledged delivery of message from one DTN hop to next
Delegate reliable delivery responsibility

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Delay Tolerant Networking

DTN Gateway (3/5)

Supplementary function for transport layer
Bundle forwarding function
Transport-protocol-specific convergence layer
Within the regions containing a DTN P node
Reliable delivery capability with message boundaries

Failure detection
Retransmission timer

Congestion control
Handle of contention for the persistent storage
Buffer space as a function of CoS
Shared priority queue for custody transfer
Messages are spooled based on priority and useful lifetime
Priority inversion & head-of-line blocking problem

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Delay Tolerant Networking

DTN Gateway (4/5)

Time synchronization
Identify message fragments
Purge messages that have exceeded their source-specified lifetime
DTNs scheduling and path selection
DTNs congestion management technique

Security
Verifiable access to the carriage of traffic at a particular class of service
Avoid carrying traffic long distances later found to be prohibited
Postage stamp
ID of sender || Class of service || Cryptographic material

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Delay Tolerant Networking

DTN Gateway (5/5)

Security (contd)

EKRA(M || CA) EKRB(M || CB) EKRC(M || CC)

Sender A DTN gateway B DTN gateway C destination

DKUA(EKRA(M || CA))D=KUMB(E
|| KR
CAB(M || CB)) = M || CB

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 Application Interface
Be careful not to expect timely response

Generally operate where a request/response turn-around time

exceeds the expected longevity of the client and server processes

Supported function
Name tuple creation, manipulation, and registration
Class of service classifier
Authentication information

Continue operate in the face of reboots or network partitioning as

much as possible

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 Conclusion
DTNs contribution
Provide interoperable communications between a wide range of
networks
Advocate a change to the basic service model and system interface,
mostly accustomed Internet-style applications
Suggest model while keeping the current service model and existing
TCP/IP based protocols constant

DTNs different choices in the architectural design

Messages vs. packets
Hop-by-hop reliability and security vs. end-to-end
Name-based routing vs. address-based routing
Partially-connected routing vs. fully-connected network graph

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 DTN Gateway

RPC Server
DTN Scheduling and Message Forwarding
Application
Internet SensorNet Other
Database
DTN library+RPC Convergence Convergence Convergence
Manager
Layer Layer Layer

Sockets Sensor Net API

TDP UDP SCTP

Sensor Network Other Transport
File Stack Or File
Store (TBD) Raw Protocols Store
IP (TBD)

Bundle Serial Bundle

data 802.3 802.11 Other Port data

< DTN (Bundle) Gateway >

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 DTN Gateway

RPC Server
DTN Scheduling and Message Forwarding
Application
Internet SensorNet Other
Database
DTN library+RPC Convergence Convergence Convergence
Manager
Layer Layer Layer

Sockets Sensor Net API

TDP UDP SCTP

Sensor Network Other Transport
File Stack Or File
Store (TBD) Raw Protocols Store
IP (TBD)

Bundle Serial Bundle

data 802.3 802.11 Other Port data

< DTN (Bundle) Gateway >

Computer Network Lab Lab Seminar 2003 17