Frédéric Guidec

A protocol for content-based communication in disconnected mobile ad hoc networks

In content-based communication, information flows towards interested hosts rather than towards specifically set destinations. This new style of communication perfectly fits the needs of applications dedicated to information sharing, news distribution, service advertisement and discovery, etc. In this paper we address the problem of supporting content-based communication in partially or intermittently connected mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs). The protocol we designed leverages on the concepts of opportunistic networking and delay-tolerant networking in order to account for the absence of end-to-end connectivity in disconnected MANETs. The paper provides an overview of the protocol, as well as simulation results that show how this protocol can perform in realistic conditions.

Opportunistic Content-Based Dissemination in Disconnected Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

Content-based networking fosters a new kind of communication in which information flows towards interested hosts rather than towards specifically set destinations. Supporting this kind of communication in mobile ad hoc networks is still a challenge, though, especially in partially or intermittently connected networks. This paper addresses this problem by combining the concept of content-based communication with that of opportunistic networking. The protocol it describes exploits transient contacts between mobile hosts that exchange messages according to their respective interest profiles. A message thus disseminates in the network by being stored, carried, and forwarded by those hosts that show some interest for this message. Experimental results as well as simulations confirm that this approach makes it possible to disseminate information efficiently, while minimising the resources implied in this dissemination.

A Protocol for Content-Based Communication in Disconnected Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

In content-based communication, information flows towards interested hosts rather than towards specifically set destinations. This new style of communication perfectly fits the needs of applications dedicated to information sharing, news distribution, service advertisement and discovery, etc. In this paper we address the problem of supporting content-based communication in partially or intermittently connected mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs). The protocol we designed leverages on the concepts of opportunistic networking and delay-tolerant networking in order to account for the absence of end-to-end connectivity in disconnected MANETs. The paper provides an overview of the protocol, as well as simulation results that show how this protocol can perform in realistic conditions.

A Contract-Based Approach of Resource-Constrained Software Deployment

Software deployment can turn into a baffling problem when the components being deployed exhibit non-functional requirements. If the platform on which such components are deployed cannot satisfy their non-functional requirements, then they may in turn fail to perform satisfactorily. In this paper we propose a contract-based approach of resource-constrained software deployment. We thus focus on a specific category of non-functional requirements: those that pertain to the resources software components need to use at runtime. Ultimately, our objective is to provide software components with means to specify their requirements regarding hardware and/or software resources, and to design methods and models for utilising this kind of information at any stage of a components life-cycle. The paper reports the design of Jamus, an experimental platform we develop in order to support the deployment of mobile software components, while providing these components with guaranteed access to the resources they need. JAMUS implements a contract-based model so as to recognise and to allow for the requirements of components regarding resource access and consumption.

A java middleware platform for resource-aware distributed applications

This paper reports the development of D-Raje (Distributed Resource-Aware Java Environment), a Java-based middleware platform that makes it possible to model and to monitor resources in a distributed environment. With this middleware, any kind of hardware or software resource can be modelled using standard Java objects, and services allow to discover local as well as remote resources, and to observe the state of these resources either locally or remotely. D-Raje is meant to ease the development of adaptive, security-oriented, or QoS-oriented Java applications, as well as the development of platforms capable of supporting such demanding applications.

Resource management for parallel adaptive components

This paper reports the development of the Concerto platform, which is dedicated to supporting the deployment of parallel adaptive components on clusters of workstations. The current work aims at proposing a basic model of a parallel component, together with mechanisms and tools for managing the deployment of such a component. Another objective of this work is to define and implement a scheme that makes it possible for components to perceive their runtime environment. This environment is modelled as a set of resources. Any component can discover and monitor resources, using the services offered by the platform.

Cooperative component-based software deployment in wireless ad hoc networks

This paper presents a middleware platform we designed in order to allow the deployment of component-based software applications on mobile devices (such as laptops or personal digital assistants) capable of ad hoc communication. This platform makes it possible to disseminate components based on peer-to-peer interactions between neighboring devices, without relying on any kind of infrastructure network. It implements a cooperative deployment scheme. Each device runs a deployment manager, which maintains a local component repository, and which strives to fill this repository with software components it is missing in order to satisfy the deployment requests expressed by the user. To achieve this goal the deployment manager continuously interacts in the background with peer managers located on neighboring devices, providing its neighbors with copies of software components it owns locally, while obtaining itself from these neighbors copies of the components it is looking for.

Disruption-tolerant content-driven information dissemination in partially connected military tactical radio networks

In this paper we address the problem of supporting communication in partially connected military tactical radio networks. In such networks traditional multi-hop forwarding techniques cannot guarantee end-to-end communication. Alternative techniques must therefore be designed to compensate for connectivity disruption. We propose a communication model that relies on opportunistic disruption-tolerant networking techniques to support information dissemination in highly fragmented military tactical radio networks. This model we designed is specifically devoted to content-driven information dissemination: pieces of information can be published on a terminal, disseminate in the network by being stored, carried, and forwarded by mobile terminals, and be received ultimately by terminals that have subscribed to receive this kind of information. This model was implemented in a middleware platform we developed, and tested on an experimental testbed composed of the French VHF battlefield radios PR4G.

Asynchronous document dissemination in dynamic ad hoc networks

This paper presents a document-oriented model for information dissemination in dynamic ad hoc networks, such as those composed of highly mobile and volatile communicating devices (e.g. laptops and PDAs). This model relies on an asynchronous, peer-to-peer propagation scheme where documents can be cached on intermediate devices, and be later sent again –either spontaneously or on demand– in the network.

A message service for opportunistic computing in disconnected MANETs

Disconnected mobile ad hoc networks (or D-MANETs) are partially or intermittently connected wireless networks in which instant end-to-end connectivity between any pair of mobile hosts is never guaranteed. Recent advances in delay/disruption-tolerant networking make it possible to support communication in such conditions, but designing and implementing distributed applications for D-MANETs is still a challenging task. Middleware systems such as the Java Message Service (JMS) have made application development easy and cost-effective in traditional wired networks. In this paper, we introduce JOMS (Java Opportunistic Message Service), a JMS provider specifically designed for D-MANETs, and with which pre-existing or new JMS-based applications can be easily deployed in such networks.