Abstract:


Topology dynamics and routing for predictable 
mobile networks


Daniel Fischer and David Basin and Thomas Engel



Predictable mobile networks are dynamic in terms of 
the mobility and connectivity of the network nodes. 
However, in contrast to mobile ad-hoc networks, their 
dynamics are mostly predictable, as the name suggests. 
Currently, no adequate topology model exists for such 
networks. Moreover, routing protocols based on either 
static or mobile ad-hoc topology models do not exploit 
this predictability and thus are too inefficient for 
use in some application areas. We present a model that 
formalizes predictable dynamic topologies as sequences 
of static snapshots. We use this model to design and 
prove the correctness of a protocol based on link-state 
routing, whose performance is superior to its static 
and ad-hoc counterparts. Our routing protocol accounts 
for occurrences of additional, unpredictable changes, 
as well as their interaction with predictable changes. 
As an application area, we focus on routing in spacecraft 
networks and explain the suitability of our protocol for 
this application domain.