Resilience in Mobile Networks: A Need and a Challenge

Abstract

In this chapter, we describe the most important network protocols supporting modern applications in mobile cellular networks, wireless sensor networks (WSN) and mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs). We first focus on the handover procedure in mobile cellular networks and the network failures due this procedure. The current solutions to enable seamless handover in the existing networks technologies are presented. We then present, in the context of WSN, a framework for model-based design and performance analysis of WSN software applications. WSN are often used for applications with strict non-functional requirements. They, thus, require solid modelling approaches for non-functional attributes of WSN software applications. We finally discuss approaches and cross-layer protocols addressing the problems of security, wireless communications, and network topology changes in MANETs before presenting a framework which aims to study both the benefits of increased awareness between software layers on the same node (inter-layer awareness) and between the same layer over different nodes (intra-layer awareness), and the combination of new/existing protocols designed with a cross-layer criterion.