Delay-tolerant networks with network coding: how well can we simulate real devices?

Liu, Xu (2014) Delay-tolerant networks with network coding: how well can we simulate real devices? Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

[English] PDF - Accepted Version Available under License - The author retains copyright ownership and moral rights in this thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's permission. Download (1MB)

Abstract

Delay-tolerant networking effectively extends the network connectivity in the time domain, and endows communications devices with enhanced data transfer capabilities. Network coding on the other hand enables us to approach the information capacity of networks by allowing intermediate nodes to process data en route. Both of these were major principal breakthroughs in mobile and wireless communications in the past decade or so. In the first half of this thesis, we consider the problem of disseminating a large number of messages in such networks. With the sparse and intermittently connected topology and with the unreliable and low-rate radios, the strategy of which messages to transfer first and in what order is a determinant of performance here. We compare a few such message prioritization methods using computer simulation and observe their performance in terms how widely and quickly information can be distributed across the network. Next, we are interested in how network coding stacks against conventional epidemic routing variants. We conducted tests with both real smart mobile devices and computer simulation and found conditions where their results match. This would give us confidence of using computer simulation to study larger delay-tolerant networks with and without network coding at a much manageable cost.

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