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Implementation of (O-)CGR in The ONE

Routing in Delay-/Disruption-Tolerant Networking (DTN) requires specific solutions as link impairments prevent the use of ordinary Internet algorithms, based on a timely dissemination of network topology information. Among DTN routing algorithms there is a dichotomy between opportunistic and deterministic (scheduled) solutions. The former are numerous and apply to terrestrial environments; CGR is the most widely supported algorithm designed for scheduled connectivity, and it is usually applied to space networks. However, in an attempt to provide a unified approach, an opportunistic variant of CGR, Opportunistic CGR (OCGR) has been recently proposed by some of the authors. Performance evaluations are normally carried out for opportunistic solutions by means of simulators, such as The ONE considered in this paper. CGR by contrast is more often studied by means of small testbeds. As the simulation approach could be complementary for CGR, and essential for OCGR, the authors have recently ported both of them into The ONE, by developing and releasing as free software a specific additional package. The aim of this paper is to show the rationale of this choice and discuss the many challenges that needed to be tackled to achieve this primary goal.

Tempesta, G.↗

Contact Multigraph Routing: Overview and Implementation

In Delay Tolerant Networking (DTN), the standard routing algorithm used to navigate time-varying networks has been Contact Graph Routing (CGR). In CGR, a globally distributed list of contacts, periods during which two DTN nodes may communicate, is used to construct a contact graph, in which contacts are vertices. A version of Dijkstra’s algorithm can then be used to find paths through this model of the timevarying network. However, since contact graphs may be large compared to the network, potentially growing with the square of the number of network nodes and linearly with the time interval represented, the resulting algorithm does not scale well with the size of the network or time. Any improvement to the routing algorithm will bring significant returns to scale. In a previous paper, we briefly introduced an alternative to the contact graph model for routing. This alternative model is based on a multigraph (a graph in which there may be multiple edges between a pair of vertices) where vertices represent network nodes instead of contacts. A version of Dijkstra’s algorithm in these multigraph models reduces the time needed to perform the same routing computations done in the existing CGR algorithm. Moreover, a modified version of Yen’s algorithm for multigraphs is included. Our variation of CGR, which we call Contact Multigraph Routing (CMR), provides an in-line replacement for the previously used pathfinding algorithms. This paper describes an implementation created based on the CMR approach, and experimental comparisons to traditional CGR are given. In addition, we explore some additional modifications to the routing pipeline traditionally assumed in CGR. These modifications range from the theoretical to the practical in terms of size and scope. We step forward our understanding of sheaftheoretic networking and describe how to model the routing pipeline using sheaves. We detail some enhanced route selection criteria that addresses some of the added complexity of DTNbased systems. We also include a future works section on future improvements and implementations that would be of service to the broader DTN community.

contact graph routing↗

Contact Graph Routing

Contact Graph Routing (CGR) is a dynamic routing system that computes routes through a time-varying topology of scheduled communication contacts in a network based on the DTN (Delay-Tolerant Networking) architecture. It is designed to enable dynamic selection of data transmission routes in a space network based on DTN. This dynamic responsiveness in route computation should be significantly more effective and less expensive than static routing, increasing total data return while at the same time reducing mission operations cost and risk. The basic strategy of CGR is to take advantage of the fact that, since flight mission communication operations are planned in detail, the communication routes between any pair of bundle agents in a population of nodes that have all been informed of one another's plans can be inferred from those plans rather than discovered via dialogue (which is impractical over long one-way-light-time space links). Messages that convey this planning information are used to construct contact graphs (time-varying models of network connectivity) from which CGR automatically computes efficient routes for bundles. Automatic route selection increases the flexibility and resilience of the space network, simplifying cross-support and reducing mission management costs. Note that there are no routing tables in Contact Graph Routing. The best route for a bundle destined for a given node may routinely be different from the best route for a different bundle destined for the same node, depending on bundle priority, bundle expiration time, and changes in the current lengths of transmission queues for neighboring nodes; routes must be computed individually for each bundle, from the Bundle Protocol agent's current network connectivity model for the bundle s destination node (the contact graph). Clearly this places a premium on optimizing the implementation of the route computation algorithm. The scalability of CGR to very large networks remains a research topic. The information carried by CGR contact plan messages is useful not only for dynamic route computation, but also for the implementation of rate control, congestion forecasting, transmission episode initiation and termination, timeout interval computation, and retransmission timer suspension and resumption.

Burleigh, Scott C.↗

Enhanced Contact Graph Routing (ECGR) MACHETE Simulation Model

Contact Graph Routing (CGR) for Delay/Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN) space-based networks makes use of the predictable nature of node contacts to make real-time routing decisions given unpredictable traffic patterns. The contact graph will have been disseminated to all nodes before the start of route computation. CGR was designed for space-based networking environments where future contact plans are known or are independently computable (e.g., using known orbital dynamics). For each data item (known as a bundle in DTN), a node independently performs route selection by examining possible paths to the destination. Route computation could conceivably run thousands of times a second, so computational load is important. This work refers to the simulation software model of Enhanced Contact Graph Routing (ECGR) for DTN Bundle Protocol in JPL's MACHETE simulation tool. The simulation model was used for performance analysis of CGR and led to several performance enhancements. The simulation model was used to demonstrate the improvements of ECGR over CGR as well as other routing methods in space network scenarios. ECGR moved to using earliest arrival time because it is a global monotonically increasing metric that guarantees the safety properties needed for the solution's correctness since route re-computation occurs at each node to accommodate unpredicted changes (e.g., traffic pattern, link quality). Furthermore, using earliest arrival time enabled the use of the standard Dijkstra algorithm for path selection. The Dijkstra algorithm for path selection has a well-known inexpensive computational cost. These enhancements have been integrated into the open source CGR implementation. The ECGR model is also useful for route metric experimentation and comparisons with other DTN routing protocols particularly when combined with MACHETE's space networking models and Delay Tolerant Link State Routing (DTLSR) model.

Segui, John S.↗

Contact Graph Routing Enhancements Developed in ION for DTN

The Interplanetary Overlay Network (ION) software suite is an open-source, flight-ready implementation of networking protocols including the Delay/Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN) Bundle Protocol (BP), the CCSDS (Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems) File Delivery Protocol (CFDP), and many others including the Contact Graph Routing (CGR) DTN routing system. While DTN offers the capability to tolerate disruption and long signal propagation delays in transmission, without an appropriate routing protocol, no data can be delivered. CGR was built for space exploration networks with scheduled communication opportunities (typically based on trajectories and orbits), represented as a contact graph. Since CGR uses knowledge of future connectivity, the contact graph can grow rather large, and so efficient processing is desired. These enhancements allow CGR to scale to predicted NASA space network complexities and beyond. This software improves upon CGR by adopting an earliest-arrival-time cost metric and using the Dijkstra path selection algorithm. Moving to Dijkstra path selection also enables construction of an earliest- arrival-time tree for multicast routing. The enhancements have been rolled into ION 3.0 available on sourceforge.net.

Segui, John S.↗

Towards Sheaf Theoretic Analyses for Delay Tolerant Networking

The goal of Delay Tolerant Networking (DTN) is to take a collection of heterogeneous, disparate connections between satellites, space assets, ground stations, and ground infrastructure and bring it together into a cohesive, functioning overlay network. Depending on the systems being considered, one can find links with a one-way light time exceeding minutes (and hours),periodic links which can sometimes be predicted by orbital mechanics, and restrictions based on the variety of capabilities built into these systems. These characteristics preclude traditional network models and routing techniques and have classically led to either rigid routing tables or purely probabilistic models. As the deeper underlying structures remain unknown, development of more DTN-optimized algorithms has lacked the necessary foundation. In a continuation of previous work, the goal of this paper is to identify and study these fundamental structures that exist in delay tolerant networks (DTN), with a focus on space networks. The current routing methodology has been to use contact graph routing (CGR) algorithms. CGR models a series of known contacts as a static graph. For CGR to work, this graph must be globally consistent and must have an accurate picture of the network. Because this is a globally controlled structure, there is little room for flexibility in the event of changes to the network which would naturally occur as the network grows. As a response to the desire for flexibility as the network changes, we introduced the mathematical structure known as sheaves to DTNs last year. The tag-line for sheaves is that they are a mathematically precise way of gluing local data together into unique global data. Thus, sheaves lend extra power to traditional models(and routing algorithms) by taking additional information and merging it, in as consistent a manner as possible, with the representation itself. The clearest example of how Earth-bound networks exhibit behavior that is “sheafy” is link state routers, which build a local-to-global picture of their network by gluing local information together into a global network, exactly as a sheaf would do. For routing within delay tolerant networks to truly exploit this structure, a deeper structure than a graph is required. In this paper, we develop sheaves that can work over directed graphs such as temporal flow networks, we construct a sheaf representation for Dijkstra’s algorithm, and we outline a construction for routing sheaves capable of modeling multicast scenarios. Finally, there is a section of future work suggesting follow-on research.

Robert Short↗

Dynamic Routing for Delay-Tolerant Networking in Space Flight Operations

Contact Graph Routing (CGR) is a dynamic routing system that computes routes through a time-varying topology composed of scheduled, bounded communication contacts in a network built on the Delay-Tolerant Networking (DTN) architecture. It is designed to support operations in a space network based on DTN, but it also could be used in terrestrial applications where operation according to a predefined schedule is preferable to opportunistic communication, as in a low-power sensor network. This paper will describe the operation of the CGR system and explain how it can enable data delivery over scheduled transmission opportunities, fully utilizing the available transmission capacity, without knowing the current state of any bundle protocol node (other than the local node itself) and without exhausting processing resources at any bundle router.

CGR↗

Toward a Unified Routing Framework for Delay-Tolerant Networking

Routing in Delay-/Disruption-Tolerant Networking (DTN) has long been recognized as a challenging research topic. The difficulty lies in the fact that link intermittency and network partitioning, possibly coupled with long delays, prevent the use of Internet solutions based on an up-to-date comprehensive knowledge of network topology, as communicated by routing protocols. In the literature on DTN routing, there is a dichotomy between solutions designed for deterministic (e.g., space flight) networks, such as Contact Graph Routing (CGR), and the wide variety of protocols designed for opportunistic terrestrial networks. After a discussion of the origin and motivations of this duality, the paper presents an opportunistic extension of CGR (OCGR). The aim is to try to resolve the DTN routing dichotomy by providing a unified approach suitable for all DTN environments.

Routing↗

Cooperative Clustering Techniques Applied to Contact Graph Routing

Routing in the space internet has to face many unique challenges - from unplanned disconnections and interruptions to predictable intermittent connectivity due to high network mobility and long propagation delays. NASA’s current approach to such routing is Contact Graph Routing (CGR), using a graph formed of prescheduled communication contacts to compute routes through the network. While this approach manages to tackle issues of connectivity and propagation delays, it is a global approach that requires continuous knowledge of the entire network. In a potential future Solar Space Internet (SSI) such an approach on its own cannot scale to large networks with thousands of members. In this presentation we propose clustering as a solution to CGR scalability. Clustering has been used in many networking problems as a way to subdivide the network and allow for localized routing and better scalability. Using techniques from graph theory and game theory, we explore various existing clustering algorithms and adapt them to the Contact Graph Routing setting. Finally, we propose a way to combine multiple algorithms to create a Delay Tolerant Clustering Protocol.

Yael Kirkpatrick↗

Cooperative Clustering Techniques For Space Network Scalability

Routing in the space internet must face many unique challenges - from unplanned disconnections and interruptions to predictable intermittent connectivity due to high network mobility and long propagation delays. NASA’s current approach to such routing is Contact Graph Routing (CGR), using a graph formed of prescheduled communication contacts to compute routes through the network. While this approach manages to tackle issues of connectivity and propagation delays, it is a global approach that requires continuous knowledge of the entire network. In a potential future Solar Space Internet (SSI) such an approach on its own cannot scale to large networks with thousands of members. In this paper we propose clustering as a solution to CGR scalability. Clustering has been used in many networking problems as a way to subdivide the network and allow for localized routing and better scalability. Using techniques from graph theory and game theory, we explore various existing clustering algorithms and adapt them to the Contact Graph Routing setting. We propose a way to combine multiple algorithms to create a Delay Tolerant Clustering Protocol (DTCP). In addition, we explore the underlying networking mechanisms such as multicast, neighbor discovery, and software defined networking that may be used to enable DTCP.

Delay Tolerant Networking↗

Galactic Cosmic Ray Intensity Response to Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections/Magnetic Clouds in 1995-2009

We summarize the response of the galactic cosmic ray (CGR) intensity to the passage of the more than 300 interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) and their associated shocks that passed the Earth during 1995-2009, a period that encompasses the whole of Solar Cycle 23. In approx.80% of cases, the GCR intensity decreased during the passage of these structures, i.e., a "Forbush decrease" occurred, while in approx.10% there was no significant change. In the remaining cases, the GCR intensity increased. Where there was an intensity decrease, minimum intensity was observed inside the ICME in approx.90% of these events. The observations confirm the role of both post-shock regions and ICMEs in the generation of these decreases, consistent with many previous studies, but contrary to the conclusion of Reames, Kahler, and Tylka (Astrophys. 1. Lett. 700, L199, 2009) who, from examining a subset of ICMEs with flux-rope-like magnetic fields (magnetic clouds) argued that these are "open structures" that allow free access of particles including GCRs to their interior. In fact, we find that magnetic clouds are more likely to participate in the deepest GCR decreases than ICMEs that are not magnetic clouds.

Richardson, I. G.↗

Methodologies for Verification and Validation of Space Launch System (SLS) Structural Dynamic Models

Responses to challenges associated with verification and validation (V&V) of Space Launch System (SLS) structural dynamics models are presented in this paper. Four methodologies addressing specific requirements for V&V are discussed. (1) Residual Mode Augmentation (RMA), which has gained acceptance by various principals in the NASA community, defines efficient and accurate FEM modal sensitivity models that are useful in test-analysis correlation and reconciliation and parametric uncertainty studies. (2) Modified Guyan Reduction (MGR) and Harmonic Reduction (HR, introduced in 1976), developed to remedy difficulties encountered with the widely used Classical Guyan Reduction (CGR) method, are presented. MGR and HR are particularly relevant for estimation of "body dominant" target modes of shell-type SLS assemblies that have numerous "body", "breathing" and local component constituents. Realities associated with configuration features and "imperfections" cause "body" and "breathing" mode characteristics to mix resulting in a lack of clarity in the understanding and correlation of FEM- and test-derived modal data. (3) Mode Consolidation (MC) is a newly introduced procedure designed to effectively "de-feature" FEM and experimental modes of detailed structural shell assemblies for unambiguous estimation of "body" dominant target modes. Finally, (4) Experimental Mode Verification (EMV) is a procedure that addresses ambiguities associated with experimental modal analysis of complex structural systems. Specifically, EMV directly separates well-defined modal data from spurious and poorly excited modal data employing newly introduced graphical and coherence metrics.

Coppolino, Robert N.↗

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↗

A Mathematical Analysis of an Example Delay Tolerant Network using the Theory of Sheaves

NASA’s High-Data Rate Architecture (HiDRA) project is working towards a general yet practical toolkit and knowledge base to help usher in the era of new technologies for space systems communications, such as optical links. The High-Rate Delay Tolerant Networking (HDTN) implementation falls under the umbrellas of both the toolkit and the knowledge base, as its advancements illuminate more general areas of Delay Tolerant Networking (DTN) that need growth. The goal of this paper is to explore the usage of particular mathematical machineries, namely temporal flow networks and sheaves, to identify fundamental, underlying structures in DTN for space systems. Satellites, space assets, ground stations, etc. give rise to a disconnected network, and it is the goal of DTN to glue disparate links together into a cohesive system, that is, a network. Depending on a given link, the latencies might be beyond that which the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) can handle, and contact times might have one-way light times in excess of minute (sometimes significantly longer). Some links might be periodic (say, due to orbital mechanics) or they might not be. This diversity has made it difficult to probe the underlying structure. An immediate consequence is that DTNs in practice today are controlled by globally distributed contact plans (schedules), which are the input to the contact graph routing (CGR) algorithm. While this is effective for smaller networks, it will be very difficult to scale for future networks. Deeper and more rigorous theory is needed to bring DTN to the next evolutionary step. To this end, this paper introduces and suggests a mathematical framework for DTN, and applies it to a space network that is simulated using an orbital analysis toolkit. The tag-line for the structure known as sheaves is that they are the mathematically precise way of gluing local data together into unique, global data. If we consider routing, we see that networking is a “sheafy” science. We then discuss a simplified sheaf model, known as the cellular sheaf. The sheaf-theoretic analysis is presented and discussed, as it is hoped that this and related papers will help form the primordial ooze of DTN theory. Finally there is a section of future work suggesting follow-on research.

Delay Tolerant Networking↗

Evaluation of Opportunistic Contact Graph Routing in Random Mobility Environments

Routing in networks where nodes move randomly is particularly challenging due their potentially unpredictable, and rapidly changing topology. Several routing algorithms have been presented in the literature to address the needs of such networks, most of them implementing variants of controlled network flooding in the hope of successful data delivery. In this note, we compare the results of previous routing algorithms with Opportunistic Contact Graph Routing (OCGR), an enhanced version of Contact Graph Routing (CGR) that is suitable for networks where contacts cannot always be scheduled ahead of time. To perform the benchmark, we simulate a network of nodes moving in a certain space according to the Random Waypoint Mobility Model, and then take measurements of bundle delivery probabilty and overhead ratio as metrics of performance and cost respectively. Through this exercise, we demonstrate that the performance of OCGR is highly dependent on the type of network under consideration (e.g. very sparse vs. densely connected) and the assumed mobility model.

Burleigh, Scott↗

On the Current State of Sheaf Theoretic Networking

Advancing the Delay Tolerant Networking (DTN) effort has proven to be a unique and difficult challenge. In the journey to implementing space networking, NASA has considered several strategies. From direct translations of Internet Protocol (IP) to satellite networks to pre-planned routing structures in Contact Graph Routing (CGR), each potential solution for DTN has come with its fair share of setbacks and challenges. Frequently, these challenges can be traced back to specific assumptions made in the development of each protocol that do not carry over from ground networks to space networks. To address these fundamental assumptions, a more general and foundational networking theory is required. In this paper, we survey a novel mathematical foundation for networking using the theory of cellular sheaves. Sheaves form a mathematical tool for modeling local phenomenon that leads to global effects. Sheaves have been introduced a number of times, and our goal here is to summarize the applications and point towards important future work that must be done to build a stronger, cohesive theory for networking.

Sheaves↗

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↗