SBIR-STTR Award

This research explores the type of auto-routing daemon required to maintain network connectivity in a chaotic mixed wire and wireless communications scenario. The current Internet Protocol paradigm associates an IP address with every "end" of a link. The routing "daemon" at each network node is used to monitor the state of the links and maintain a correct routing database distributed throughout the network by engaging in data exchange between the various daemons. The "ends" are constant even though not all may be functional at a given time. The daemons currently in use (e.g., RIP and OSPF) are capable of rebuilding the distributed routing database when links startup or fail. These daemons use logic that selects the best of several links available at a given node.Combat situations using wireless media demand a flexible router that can recognize which data is urgent, which data is important, but not urgent, or which data can be delayed with minimal operational degradation, etc. Historically, these different needs have been met by maintaining separate routing tables for each Type Of Service - which is a value included in every Internet packet. These routing tables are constructed to minimize the "cost" of traversal through the network. Using a daemon such as OSPF (but not RIP), each Type Of Service may have a different set of values and algorithms for calculating costs. In OSPF, the costs for each link and type of service over that link are fixed and configured by a network administrator. These routing protocols have been carefully designed to work well over very large networks. A single ship (with crew and equipment, such as boats and aircraft) is a much smaller network. Such smaller networks may be able to employ protocols that do not scale well to larger, ultra-wide networks, but offer more dynamic cost evaluations, such as the time of a round trip along a given link or the bit error rate of a given channel. Such dynamic cost evaluations allows the routing daemon to constantly reconfigure the network based on the current environment. This daemon should be able to cooperate with OSPF daemons, when the ship network is connected to an OSPF backbone so that the ship can be part of a wider network whenever possible. This routing technology has industrial and commercial applications, these include:1. Dynamic reconstruction and restoration of national infrastructure networks (electric, gas, water, transportation) in the event of natural and man-made disasters e.g. earthquakes, terrorist activities, equipment failure.2. Next generation of in-building high-speed multi-user LAN systems. Productized this technology would provide 100 MHz + wireless office LAN connectivity.3. As the routing engine in a low-cost multi-access high-density voice and data wireless Internet subscriber unit for semi urban and rural business and residential use.

Keywords:
Routing, Wireless, Chaotic Networking

This is a proposal to develop the software needed to provide backup wireless connectivity for a damaged shipboard network. In addition to controlling the wireless link, the software must also reconstitute the network and perform triage of the packets passing through it. The wireless link scavenges bandwidth wherever it can be found; there are no guaranteed link statistics. The performance has to be measured and then the routes recalculated. An optimum network routes by the message's type of service. Metric Systems proposes to reinsert type of service routing into OSPF and to add separate arithmetics for each type of service, so that costs such as reliability can be used. The wireless link will allow messages to flow through the network, but not at the same rate as on the undamaged network. Under these circumstances, it is necessary that a "vital" message have delivery precedence over an "important" message. IP has set aside three bits in the packet header to contain "Precedence." The meaning of these bits and the rules for interpreting them and forwarding them is undefined. Metric Systems proposes to establish the meaning and rules for these bits and modify a Linux kernel to observe the rules. The wireless link scavenges bandwidth wherever it can be found; there are no guaranteed link statistics. The performance has to be measured and then the routes recalculated. An optimum network routes by the message's type of service. Metric Systems proposes to reinsert type of service routing into OSPF and to add separate arithmetics for each type of service, so that costs such as reliability can be used. The wireless link will allow messages to flow through the network, but not at the same rate as on the undamaged network. Under these circumstances, it is necessary that a "vital" message have delivery precedence over an "important" message. IP has set aside three bits in the packet header to contain "Precedence." The meaning of these bits and the rules for interpreting them and forwarding them is undefined. Metric Systems proposes to establish the meaning and rules for these bits and modify a Linux kernel to observe the rules.

Keywords:
Internet,Ospf,Tos,Precedence,Wireless