Performance modeling of Licklider transmission protocol (LTP) via proactive transmission of signaling segments in deep-space network

Delay-tolerant networking (DTN) bundle protocol is considered one of the best transmission protocols to be used in space communications by NASA. There are studies that evaluated the performance, measuring the total transfer time of a complete file from sender to receiver, of the DTN protocol via simulation or emulated experiments beyond the real space-based experiences. In addition, there is a very few additional research works available for the modeling of the Licklider transmission protocol (LTP). However, these past studies on LTP modeling are implemented as a Logarithmic approach that is based on the calculation of loss segments in file delivery. In this work, the approach is investigated in a different manner. Specifically, the performance model was created based on the probability of the segment's successful delivery on the LTP. Moreover, the original model is enhanced via introducing a burst of transfer and equal interval distribution of signaling segments, specifically check point (CP), along with the retransmission time out (RTO). The results from the developed model for the original DTN protocol and enhanced versions align with the results obtained by PC-based testbeds.     

Performance of DTN protocols in space communications

Delay/disruption tolerant networking (DTN) was developed to enable automated network communications despite the long link delay and frequent link disruptions that generally characterize space communications. The performance of DTN convergence layer adapter (CLA) protocols over asymmetric space communication channels has not yet been comprehensively characterized. In this paper, we present an experimental performance evaluation of DTN CLA protocols for reliable data transport over a space communication infrastructure involving asymmetric channel rates, with particular attention to the recently developed Licklider transmission protocol (LTP) CLA (i.e., LTPCL). The performance of LTPCL is evaluated in comparison with other two reliable CLAs, TCP CLA and a hybrid of TCP CLA and LTPCL, for long-delay cislunar communications in the presence of highly asymmetric channel rates. LTPCL is also evaluated and analyzed in a deep-space communication scenario characterized by a very long link delay and lengthy link disruptions.     

A DTN approach to satellite communications

Satellite communications pose serious challenges to transport layer performance, mainly because of long propagation delays (especially in geosynchronous systems) and the possi ble presence of random errors on the satellite link. Solutions that cope with these impairments usually rely upon either the adoption of enhanced versions of transport protocols, or the insertion of intermediate agents, like PEPs (Performance Enhancing Proxies). An alternative approach is to adopt the DTN (Delay/Disruption Tolerant Networking) architecture based on the introduction of the new "bundle" layer in the protocol stack. The aim of the paper is to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the DTN approach compared to the more conventional solutions mentioned. DTN performance is assessed by considering both fully connected networks and networks where continuous connectivity cannot be guaranteed during data transfer and/or at start-up. Performance is evaluated by using the TATPA testbed (Testbed for Advanced Transport Protocols and Architectures), which is based on a cluster of Linux PCs running the DTNperf application, developed to this end by the authors and now included in the official DTN package. Comparative results show that DTN, coupled with TCP Hybla, outperforms NewReno, offering a performance very close to PEPsal and end- to-end Hybla, which are among the most effective solutions on satellite channels. In addition to these encouraging results, DTN offers an intrinsic greater robustness in intermittent or disruptive environments.     

DARPA的下下代网络（WNaN）体系架构研究

未来的作战网络需要具有低成本、能立即部署、自组织、健壮以及规模与密度可扩缩的特征。DARPA的下下代无线网络（WNaN）采用一种体系架构来迎接这些技术挑战,该架构首次在实际功能系统中呈现出几种创新的特征：动态频谱接入（DSA）、自适应多收发器频率指派、多信道媒体接入、高度可扩缩的路由以及容断组网（DTN）。文中介绍WNaN系统的网络体系架构,重点主要在于媒体接入和子网层。然后,简短地叙述这些关键协议如何协作工作、它们在该目标平台上是如何实现的。最后,将讨论WNaN对我军下一代战术网络设计的一些启发。     

面向混合DTN网络的新型传输架构 CAF

Delay-Tolerant Networks ( DTNs ) are wireless networks that often experience temporary, even long-duration partitioning. Current DTN researches mainly focus on pure delay-tolerant networks that are extreme environments within a limited application scope. It motivates the identification of a more reasonable and valuable DTN architecture, which can be applied in a wider range of environments to achieve interoperability between some networks suffering from frequent network partitioning, and other networks provided with stable and high speed Internet access. Such hybrid delay-tolerant networks have a lot of applications in real world. A novel and practical Cache-Assign-Forward (CAF) architecture is proposed as an appropriate approach to tie together such hybrid networks to achieve an efficient and flexible data communication. Based on CAF, we enhance the existing DTN routing protocols and apply them to complex hybrid delay-tolerant networks. Simulations show that CAF can improve DTN routing performance significantly in hybrid DTN environments.     

On storage dynamics of space delay/disruption tolerant network node

Delay/disruption tolerant network (DTN) plays a promising role in prospected information infrastructures for future space activities, such as Interplanetary Internet (IPN) or Solar System Internet (SSI). Over such long-haul and intermittent links, DTN technique makes scientific data return end-to-end reliable by the typical custody transfer and store-and-forward mechanism. Due to lack of enough space spacecrafts deployed for DTN, now and in the near decades, there will be some intermediary nodes which would carry a large proportion of network traffic as DTN routers. Consequently, the behaviors and capabilities of managing bundles in the intermediary nodes would have impacts on the data transport over space DTN. Focusing on the storage dynamics of bundles, in this paper, we propose an analytical framework based on two-dimension Markov chain to evaluate the behaviors of bundles delivery in DTN intermediate nodes. Accordingly, a delay model and a transmission success probability model for bundles delivery over space DTN are developed separately, both dependent closely on the sojourn time in node storages. The evaluation results indicate that: (1) Dividing the source files into bigger bundles for transmission causes a longer storage-occupancy time on intermediary nodes; (2) bundle sizes have more explicit impacts on the storage-occupancy time at a node than segment sizes do; and (3) the transmission success probability of a bundle is more dependent on a DTN bundle size than on a LTP segment size.     

Delay-tolerant networking: an approach to interplanetary Internet

Increasingly, network applications must communicate with counterparts across disparate networking environments characterized by significantly different sets of physical and operational constraints; wide variations in transmission latency are particularly troublesome. The proposed Interplanetary Internet, which must encompass both terrestrial and interplanetary links, is an extreme case. An architecture based on a "least common denominator" protocol that can operate successfully and (where required) reliably in multiple disparate environments would simplify the development and deployment of such applications. The Internet protocols are ill suited for this purpose. We identify three fundamental principles that would underlie a delay-tolerant networking (DTN) architecture and describe the main structural elements of that architecture, centered on a new end-to-end overlay network protocol called Bundling. We also examine Internet infrastructure adaptations that might yield comparable performance but conclude that the simplicity of the DTN architecture promises easier deployment and extension.     

Wi‐Fi‐based modeling and hybrid routing scheme for delay‐tolerant public bus network

Delay‐ or Disruption‐Tolerant Networking (DTN) is a communications approach that is utilized in easily disrupted or delayed networks. Examples of such networks are often found in heterogeneous networks, mobile or extreme terrestrial networks, and planned networks in space. In this paper, we examine the metropolitan bus network as a research target of DTN for a public transport network. We analyze the metropolitan bus network through spatial and temporal modeling using an existing Bus Information System (BIS) database. On the basis of the results of our analysis, we propose and design an appropriate DTN routing scheme called Hybrid Position‐based DTN Routing. This scheme uses position‐based routing instead of address‐based routing by soliciting infrastructural help from nearby Access Points for the real‐time BIS location service. We simulated our scheme using a WLAN for the wideband DTN communication and evaluated it by comparing it with traditional Ad hoc flooding, Epidemic routing, and strategic protocol steps in our own algorithm. The results indicate that our scheme achieves reasonably high performance in terms of packet delivery ratio, latency, and resource usage. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

容迟／容断网络路由技术研究

容迟／容断网络（DTN）由于其长延迟、高误码率及频繁断路等网络特性不满足互联网较短传输延迟、低误码率及存在端到端路径的基本假设,传统Internet体系结构和协议无法直接用于DTN。DTN路由机制可以按照连接的确定性分为确定性路由和随机性路由。确定性路由主要有基于树的路由、时空路由和修正的最短路径路由等方法;随机性路由主要有流行性路由、基于历史消息的路由、基于模型的路由、可控移动路由和基于编码的路由。DTN在游牧计算、军事战场通信、紧急营救及灾后重建方面具有广泛应用前景。     

Services, architectures, and protocols for space data systems

The author presents a comprehensive discussion of three major aspects of the work of the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS), a worldwide cooperative effort of national space agencies. The author examines the CCSDS space data communications network concept on which the data communications facilities of future advanced orbiting systems will be based. He derives the specifications of an open communications architecture as a reference model for the development of services and protocols that support the transfer of information over space data communications networks. Detailed specifications of the communication services and information transfer protocols that have reached a high degree of maturity and stability are offered. The author also includes a complete list of currently available CCSDS standards and supporting documentation     

An Efficient,Scalable Key Transport Scheme (ESKTS) for Delay/Disruption Tolerant Networks

In the past, security protocols including key transport protocols are designed with the assumption that there are two parties communication with each other and an adversary tries to intercept this communication. In Delay/Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN), packet delivery relies on intermediate parties in the communication path to store and forward the packets. DTN security architecture requires that integrity and authentication should be verified at intermediate nodes as well as at end nodes and confidentiality should be maintained for end communicating parties. This requires new security protocols and key management to be defined for DTN as traditional end-to-end security protocols will not work with DTN. To contribute towards solving this problem, we propose a novel Efficient and Scalable Key Transport Scheme (ESKTS) to transport the symmetric key generated at a DTN node to other communicating body securely using public key cryptography and proxy signatures. It is unique effort to design a key transport protocol in compliance with DTN architecture. ESKTS ensures that integrity and authentication is achieved at hop-by-hop level as well as end-to-end level. It also ensures end-to-end confidentiality and freshness for end communicating parties. This scheme provides a secure symmetric key transport mechanism based on public key cryptography to exploit the unique bundle buffering characteristics of DTN to reduce communication and computation cost .     

天基信息网络的软件定义网络应用探析

现有各种空间、地面网络节点的互连互通,在一定程度上可满足特定应用需求,但由于各节点在空间、物理以及功能的局限,限制了天基信息高效传输、融合以及按需地应用。分析了天基信息网络的发展趋势,提出了网络架构构想,并对主要关键技术的研究方向进行了梳理。在空间核心节点上采用软件定义的多功能载荷平台,并基于软件定义网络( SDN)架构和空间容中断网络协议构建天基信息网络。通过资源虚拟化、处理多元化、应用无阻化的方式,保障天基信息网络适应信息按需定制和高效共享等应用需求。     

Design and performance evaluation of LTP enhancements for lossy space channels

This paper deals with the performance of Licklider Transmission Protocol (LTP) in space environment, focusing on the impact of segment losses and the design of possible improvements. The in‐depth analysis of retransmission mechanisms carried out in the paper shows that, while LTP already achieves delivery time performance very close to the theoretical optimum in ideal conditions (no losses) and when losses affect data segments, a substantial improvement is still possible concerning signaling segments, whose loss can result in a significant increase of the LTP block delivery time. To this end, 2 simple enhancements, the Closing State and the proactive retransmission of signaling segments, are proposed and evaluated in the paper. Both enhancements have been added as optional features to the original Interplanetary Overlay Network LTP implementation (ION 3.5.0), in order to evaluate their effectiveness on a GNU/Linux testbed running the full protocol stack. Results presented in the paper confirm the validity of the proposed enhancements, as they significantly reduce the average delivery time in the presence of high losses and provide the additional advantage, even when losses are relatively low, of largely reducing the difference between average and worst cases.     

沙漠多节点宽带通信网络架构与关键技术

针对沙漠区域特殊环境下的资源能源受限的问题,提出了沙漠多节点宽带通信网络架构的构想,并梳理了其关键技术及解决途径。该网络采用两套体制和三层网络的架构,既可以满足低延迟的可靠性传输,又能达到宽带传输的目的。通过不同的通信体制和网络层级响应不同业务的传输,实现了沙漠特殊的无线传播环境和基础设施缺乏的条件下多节点宽带通信组网的目标,以解决沙漠区域信号盲区的通信问题。相应的通信组网技术可扩展应用到未来深空探测行星表面组网。     

DTN Based Dominating Set Routing for MANET in Heterogeneous Wireless Networking

In mobile communications, effective inter-networking is mandatory in order to support user roaming among various types of wireless networks while maintaining connectivity. In this paper, we propose a super node system architecture to achieve the connectivity over interconnected heterogeneous wireless access networks, which employs the delay-tolerant network (DTN) concept to overcome the problem of potential intermittent connections caused by user roaming and ensures message delivery in the presence of a long disconnection period. By introducing the concept of virtual network topology, we present a new routing technique for mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) within the system architecture, which redefines the dominating-set based routing for the challenged network environment. A time based methodology is presented to predict the probability of future contacts between node pairs for constructing the virtual network topology. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed dominating-set based routing scheme under the DTN system architecture.

容迟网络体系结构及其关键技术研究

当前的Intemet体系结构和其中许多协议无法很好的适用存在高延迟和频繁割裂的网络.当端节点具有严格的能量和存储限制时,这一问题将更加恶化.由于移动性和特殊应用需求,使得像陆地移动网络、军事无线自组织网络、星际网络及无线传感器网络等这样的受限网络缺乏“保持连接”的基础结构.这些受限网络有它们自己的专有协议而不采用TCP/IP协议.为了实现这些网络之间的互联,国际上提出了在端到端连接和节点资源都受限时的一种新型网络体系结构和应用接口,称为延迟容忍网络(简称容迟网络,DIN,Delay-Tolerant Networks).DTN作为网络互联时传输层上的覆盖网可用来满足随意的异步消息可靠转发.本文研究分析了容迟网络的应用背景、体系结构、关键技术和一些开放问题,并给出了未来的发展方向和应用前景.     

NASA未来的空间C&N体系及关键技术

介绍了NASA空间通信体系工作组(SCAWG)所提出的2005～2030年NASA空间通信与导航体系。该体系包括地基地球、近地中继、月球中继和火星中继4个物理单元,以及叠加在这4个物理单元之上的网络、安全、频谱及导航4个贯穿的公共体系。为实现这一体系,SCAWG提出了未来6大关键的技术领域,包括上行链路组阵、光通信、航天器RF技术、X射线导航、网络技术和可编程通信系统(软件定义无线电)。通过对NASA未来空间通信与导航体系及关键技术领域进行研究,可为未来的空间探测活动及相关技术发展提供参考。     

An adaptive end‐to‐end RTO calculation framework for DTNs with scheduled connectivity

In this work, we propose an end‐to‐end retransmission framework for dynamically calculating efficient retransmission time‐out intervals in delay‐tolerant networks (DTNs) with scheduled connectivity. The proposed framework combines deterministic and statistical information about the network state to calculate worst‐case estimates about the expected round trip times. Such information includes connectivity schedules, convergence layer protocols specifics, communication link characteristics, and network statistics about the maximum expected packet error rates and storage congestion. We detail the implementation of the proposed framework within the end‐to‐end application data conditioning layer proposed for the DTN architecture, realized by the Delay‐Tolerant Payload Conditioning protocol, as part of the Interplanetary Overlay Network–DTN reference implementation, and evaluate its performance in a complex deep‐space emulation scenario in our DTN testbed. Our results show that our approach achieves great accuracy in round‐trip time estimations and, therefore, faster retransmissions of lost data, in comparison to the statically configured retransmission mechanism of the original Delay‐Tolerant Payload Conditioning protocol. As a result, in‐order data reception rate and storage requirements on the receiver side are significantly improved, at minimum or even zero extra cost in transmission overhead due to duplicate transmissions.     

DirMove: direction of movement based routing in DTN architecture for post-disaster scenario

Network architecture based on opportunistic Delay Tolerant Network (DTN) is best applicable for post-disaster scenarios, where the controlling point of relief work is any fixed point like a local school building or a hospital, whose location is known to everyone. In this work, 4-tier network architecture for post-disaster relief and situation analysis is proposed. The disaster struck area has been divided into clusters known as Shelter Points (SP). The architecture consists of mobile Relief Workers (RW) at tier 1, Throw boxes (TB) at tier 2 placed at fixed locations within SPs. Data Mules (DM) like vehicles, boats, etc. operate at tier 3 that provide inter-SP connectivity. Master Control Station (MCS) is placed at tier 4. The RWs are provided with smart-phones that act as mobile nodes. The mobile nodes collect information from the disaster incident area and send that information to the TB of its SP, using DTN as the communication technology. The messages are then forwarded to the MCS via the DMs. Based on this architecture, a novel DTN routing protocol is proposed. The routing strategy works by tracking recent direction of movement of mobile nodes by measuring their consecutive distances from the destination at two different instants. If any node moves away from the destination, then it is very unlikely to carry its messages towards the destination. For a node, the fittest node among all its neighbours is selected as the next hop. The fittest node is selected using parameters like past history of successful delivery and delivery latency, current direction of movement and node’s recent proximity to the destination. Issues related to routing such as fitness of a node for message delivery, buffer management, packet drop and node energy have been considered. The routing protocol has been implemented in the Opportunistic Networks Environment (ONE) simulator with customized mobility models. It is compared with existing standard DTN routing protocols for efficiency. It is found to reduce message delivery latency and improve message delivery ratio by incurring a small overhead .