Talking to the stars - Part II: building an interplanetary internet based on delay-tolerant network protocols
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CFDP↗
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Rising Above the Cloud - Toward High-Rate Delay-Tolerant Networking in Low-Earth Orbit
The High Data Rate Architecture (HiDRA) project is implementing a High-rate Delay Tolerant Networking (HDTN) capability that can support Low Earth Orbit (LEO) applications and environments. The present state of the effort, future work, and other elements of the work to date are described in this paper. This implementation is intended to support applications that run at 1+ Gbps, per the requirements of modern optical and high-frequency RF links. Uniquely, this implementation is also tuned to support relay and data trunking applications, which might require support for large numbers of small bundles per second. The design for this platform is based entirely on commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) components, and possesses buffering capabilities in the 5 TB range. This document takes results from previous individual tests and integrates them to demonstrate results in the presence of a coherent use-case: consider a network aboard the ISS which intends to utilize an upcoming optical communications capability. For this use-case, orbital analysis software is used to analyze orbital dynamics, from which a list of access times are generated that might take in to account weather, schedule competition, etc. A variant of Contact Graph Routing (CGR) is applied to these windows to determine an optimal schedule. This schedule is then loaded into the HDTN prototype and, in conjunction with various measurement tools, a complete end-to-end analysis of HDTN's performance is conducted. Various bottlenecks (including storage) are identified: these bottlenecks are expected to help us focus our future work on the elements of the system that are most likely to present issues moving forward. Finally, we discuss possible paths for evolution beyond the present rates supported by the system, including (but not limited to) hardware acceleration.
Hylton, Alan↗
Investigating Neighbor Discovery for High-Rate Delay Tolerant Networking
A neighbor discovery protocol that enables the dynamic discovery of nodes for NASA Glenn Research Center’s High Rate Delay Tolerant Networking (HDTN) project is needed to satisfy mission scalability and interoperability objectives. The purpose of this study is to primarily examine a DTN IP neighbor discovery (IPND) implementation to understand the inner workings of the protocol before approaching a neighbor discovery implementation for the HDTN project. Using a rust-based DTN IPND implementation, this study analyzed the neighbor discovery process. DTN IPND was found to help meet both mission scalability and interoperability objectives by enabling dynamic routing capabilities. This study definitively answers the question regarding mission scalability and interoperability concerns. Further studies are needed to establish the most optimal neighbor discovery implementation for HDTN.
Prash Choksi↗
Toward Time Synchronization in Delay Tolerant Network based Solar System Internetworking
The expanding presence in space will place an increased dependency on networked communications– a scalable communications infrastructure; that is, the Solar System Internet (SSI). Upcoming developments towards a SSI include NASA’s upcoming LunaNet, or lunar Internet, which provides multi-hop multi-path communications using Delay Tolerant Networking (DTN). DTN has been an active area of research and development, particularly in routing, security, and optimization. DTNs are marked by mobility, disconnection, and a wide variance of latencies (propagation and processing delays). In this paper, we outline progress towards a theory of time synchronization across such a network. An underlying assumption of DTN is that the network is time synchronized already, rather than synchronization being provided as a service. While this is necessary for schedule-based routing, which is necessarily prevalent in DTNs, it is so deeply ingrained as to be built into the primary unit of data in DTNs– the bundle. Indeed, a bundle’s creation timestamp and its time to live (called the lifetime) are based on time, and there are special recommendations for systems that lack accurate clocks. The assumption of time synchronization makes sense when limiting considerations to smaller-scale and more traditional space communication. However, just as end-to-end connectivity cannot be guaranteed in DTNs, neither can access to a reference or authoritative clock. In this more general case, it might be necessary to synchronize over time-varying meshes, and perhaps even to consider relativistic effects. Moreover, by imposing synchronization restrictions in order to sustain a network, the effectiveness of the network to achieve scalability will be necessarily muted. To work towards a time synchronization theory for DTNs, we build upon past successes in modeling DTNs using time-varying graphs and sheaves. This includes error and limitation estimation, which allows one to define domains over which schedule-based routing is possible, up to some threshold sensitivity. Despite the theoretical nature of these results, the approaches taken are also algorithmic, and hence lend themselves to practical implementations. The paper concludes with comparisons of the various methods along with suggestions for future work.
Delay Tolerant Networking↗
Spacecraft Data and Relay Management using Delay Tolerant Networking
NASA's demonstration of the successful transmission of relay data through the orbiting Mars Odyssey, Mars Global Surveyor, and Mars Express by the Mars Exploration Rovers has shown not only the benefit of using a relay satellite for multiple landed assets in a deep space environment but also the benefit of international standards for such architecture. As NASA begins the quest defined in the Vision for Exploration with robotic and manned missions to the Moon, continues its study of Mars, and is joined in these endeavors by countries world-wide, landed assets transmitting data through relay satellites will be crucial for completing mission objectives. However, this method of delivery of data will result in increased complexity in routing and prioritization of data transmission as the number of missions increases. Also, there is currently no standard method among organizations conducting such missions to return these data sets to Earth given a complex environment. One possibility for establishing such a standard is for mission designers to deploy protocols which fall under the umbrella of Delay Tolerant Networking (DTN). These developing standards include the Bundle Protocol (BP) which provides a standard, secure, store and forward mechanism designed for high latency and asymmetric communication links and the Licklider Transmission Protocol (LTP) which is used to provide a reliable deep space link transmission service.
network congestion control algorithm↗
Sheaf Theoretic Models for Routing in Delay Tolerant Networks
One key to communications scalability is routing; as such the goal of this paper is to build upon successful efforts towards general routing for space-based networks. With the ever-increasing accessibility of space, the number of assets is increasing, which becomes a critical communications burden in terms of scheduling, spectrum allocation, and resource allocation. In order to mitigate these concerns, a true networking approach is necessary; a standard approach for space systems is Delay Tolerant Networking (DTN). For DTN to be a meaningful answer to the Solar System Internet (SSI) question, DTN must offer meaningful routing solutions that span the heterogeneous collection of links and nodes. This, in turn, depends on the general structure of these disconnected networks -- a structure that remains largely unknown. In ground communications networks, routing decisions are made based on several pathfinding algorithms working in tandem. In previous work, we modeled Dijkstra's pathfinding algorithm using sheaves and provided a more general framework for determining paths using sheaves over graphs. Continuing our sheaf-theoretic approach, we introduce here an expansion of our pathfinding sheaf to handle more general information, and we expand on additional pathfinding algorithms that can be represented using sheaves. Moreover, we demonstrate means of combining multiple algorithms into a single sheaf structure so that changes of scale can be presented in the language of sheaves. In addition, space communications networks rely upon radio transmitter antennas which can establish broadcast and multicast communications options, rather than the primarily unicast options available to wired networks. Last year, we also introduced a multicast routing sheaf for presenting broadcast, unicast, and multicast communications over a graph. Extending that work, we also introduce queuing sheaves so that we can blend these communications options together to simulate a variety of routing options across space networks. In addition, we include examples to illustrate the applicability of this abstract theory to routing in disconnected networks.
Robert Short↗
Delay-tolerant networking
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delay latency network protocol↗
A Communication Satellite Network for Infrastructure-Poor Countries: Delay-Tolerant Networking on Cubesats
No abstract available
Systems Engineering↗
Dynamic Routing for Delay-Tolerant Networking in Space Flight Operations
Computational self-sufficiency - the making of communication decisions on the basis of locally available information that is already in place, rather than on the basis of information residing at other entities - is a fundamental principle of Delay-Tolerant Networking. Contact Graph Routing is an attempt to apply this principle to the problem of dynamic routing in an interplanetary DTN. Testing continues, but preliminary results are promising.
CGR↗
Evaluation of Classifier Complexity for Delay Tolerant Network Routing
The growing popularity of small cost effective satellites (SmallSats, CubeSats, etc.) creates the potential for a variety of new science applications involving multiple nodes functioning together or independently to achieve a task, such as swarms and constellations. As this technology develops and is deployed for missions in Low Earth Orbit and beyond, the use of delay tolerant networking (DTN) techniques may improve communication capabilities within the network. In this paper, a network hierarchy is developed from heterogeneous networks of SmallSats, surface vehicles, relay satellites and ground stations which form an integrated network. There is a tradeoff between complexity, flexibility, and scalability of user defined schedules versus autonomous routing as the number of nodes in the network increases. To address these issues, this work proposes a machine learning classifier based on DTN routing metrics. A framework is developed which will allow for the use of several categories of machine learning algorithms (decision tree, random forest and deep learning) to be applied to a dataset of historical network statistics, which allows for the evaluation of algorithm complexity versus performance to be explored. We develop the emulation of a hierarchical network, consisting of tens of nodes which form a cognitive network architecture. CORE (Common Open Research Emulator) is used to emulate the network using bundle protocol and DTN IP neighbor discovery.
Dudukovich, Rachel↗
Laser Communications Relay Demonstration: Experiments With Delay Tolerant Networking
The Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) is a NASA mission that is presently providing a link between two optical ground stations on Earth and geosynchronous orbit; this capability will be extended to include a laser terminal on the International Space Station (ISS). From a practical perspective, LCRD provides a 1Gbps Ethernet link with an anticipated round-trip time of 4 seconds. Delay Tolerant Networking (DTN) is being used to transcend LCRDs capabilities from a point-to-point link to true network connectivity. Indeed, integrating the LCRD link into any network, such as one aboard the ISS, adds new hops and paths. In this paper, we detail DTN experiments conducted using LCRD to demonstrate how DTN and optical capabilities complement each other to enable the next generation of space communication modalities. We conclude with considerations on using LCRD to connect the ISS to the optical ground stations.
Alan Hylton↗
Spacecraft data and relay management using delay tolerant networking
NASA’s demonstration of the successful transmission of relay data through the orbiting Mars Odyssey, Mars Global Surveyor, and Mars Express by the Mars Exploration Rovers has shown not only the benefit of using a relay satellite for multiple landed assets in a deep space environment but also the benefit of international standards for such an architecture. As NASA begins the quest defined in the Vision for Exploration with robotic and manned missions to the Moon, continues its study of Mars, and is joined in these endeavors by countries world-wide, landed assets transmitting data through relay satellites will be crucial for completing mission objectives. However, this method of data delivery will result in increased complexity in routing and prioritization of data transmission as the number of missions increases. Also, there is currently no standard method among organizations conducting such missions to return these data sets to Earth given a complex environment. One possibility for establishing such a standard is for mission designers to deploy protocols which fall under the umbrella of Delay Tolerant Networking (DTN). These developing standards include the Bundle Protocol (BP) which provides a standard, secure, store and forward mechanism designed for high latency and asymmetric communication links and the Licklider Transmission Protocol (LTP) which is used to provide a reliable deep space link transmission service.
Torgerson, J. Leigh↗
Toward a Unified Routing Framework for Delay-Tolerant Networking
No abstract available
Delay-/Disruption- Tolerant Networking↗
Delay Tolerant Networking - Bundle Protocol Simulation
In this paper, we report on the addition of MACHETE models needed to support DTN, namely: the Bundle Protocol (BP) model. To illustrate the useof MACHETE with the additional DTN model, we provide an example simulation to benchmark its performance. We demonstrate the use of the DTN protocol and discuss statistics gathered concerning the total time needed to simulate numerous bundle transmissions.
licklider protocol↗
Use of the Delay-Tolerant Networking Bundle Protocol from Space
The Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC), constructed by Survey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), is a multisatellite Earth-imaging low-Earth-orbit sensor network where captured image swaths are stored onboard each satellite and later downloaded from the satellite payloads to a ground station. Store-and-forward of images with capture and later download gives each satellite the characteristics of a node in a Delay/Disruption Tolerant Network (DTN). Originally developed for the Interplanetary Internet, DTNs are now under investigation in an Internet Research Task Force (IRTF) DTN research group (RG), which has developed a bundle architecture and protocol. The DMC is currently unique in its adoption of the Internet Protocol (IP) for its imaging payloads and for satellite command and control, based around reuse of commercial networking and link protocols. These satellites use of IP has enabled earlier experiments with the Cisco router in Low Earth Orbit (CLEO) onboard the constellation's UK-DMC satellite. Earth images are downloaded from the satellites using a custom IPbased high-speed transfer protocol developed by SSTL, Saratoga, which tolerates unusual link environments. Saratoga has been documented in the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) for wider adoption. We experiment with use of DTNRG bundle concepts onboard the UKDMC satellite, by examining how Saratoga can be used as a DTN convergence layer to carry the DTNRG Bundle Protocol, so that sensor images can be delivered to ground stations and beyond as bundles. This is the first successful use of the DTNRG Bundle Protocol in a space environment. We use our practical experience to examine the strengths and weaknesses of the Bundle Protocol for DTN use, paying attention to fragmentation, custody transfer, and reliability issues.
Wood, Lloyd↗
Delay Tolerant Networking on NASA's Space Communication and Navigation Testbed
This presentation covers the status of the implementation of an open source software that implements the specifications developed by the CCSDS Working Group. Interplanetary Overlay Network (ION) is open source software and it implements specifications that have been developed by two international working groups through IETF and CCSDS. ION was implemented on the SCaN Testbed, a testbed located on an external pallet on ISS, by the GRC team. The presentation will cover the architecture of the system, high level implementation details, and issues porting ION to VxWorks.
communication networks↗