Sghaier Guizani

Internet Protocol Television (IPTV): The Killer Application for the Next-Generation Internet

Internet protocol television (IPTV) will be the killer application for the next-generation Internet and will provide exciting new revenue opportunities for service providers. However, to deploy IPTV services with a full quality of service (QoS) guarantee, many underlying technologies must be further studied. This article serves as a survey of IPTV services and the underlying technologies. Technical challenges also are identified.

Intrusion detection techniques in mobile ad hoc and wireless sensor networks

Mobile ad hoc networks and wireless sensor networks have promised a wide variety of applications. However, they are often deployed in potentially adverse or even hostile environments. Therefore, they cannot be readily deployed without first addressing security challenges. Intrusion detection systems provide a necessary layer of in-depth protection for wired networks. However, relatively little research has been performed about intrusion detection in the areas of mobile ad hoc networks and wireless sensor networks. In this article, first we briefly introduce mobile ad hoc networks and wireless sensor networks and their security concerns. Then, we focus on their intrusion detection capabilities. Specifically, we present the challenge of constructing intrusion detection systems for mobile ad hoc networks and wireless sensor networks, survey the existing intrusion detection techniques, and indicate important future research directions.

Middleware Vertical Handoff Manager: A Neural Network-Based Solution

Major research challenges in the next generation of wireless networks include the provisioning of worldwide seamless mobility across heterogeneous wireless networks, the improvement of end-to-end quality of service (QoS), supporting high data rates over wide area and enabling users to specify their personal preferences. The integration and interoperability of this multitude of available networks will lead to the emergence of the fourth generation (4G) of wireless technologies. 4G wireless technologies have the potential to provide these features and many more, which at the end will change the way we use mobile devices and provide a wide variety of new applications. However, such technology does not come without its challenges. One of these challenges is the users ability to control and manage handoffs across heterogeneous wireless networks. This paper proposes a solution to this problem using artificial neural networks (ANNs). The proposed method is capable of distinguishing the best existing wireless network that matches predefined user preferences set on a mobile device when performing a vertical handoff. The overall performance of the proposed method shows 87.0 % success rate in finding the best available wireless network. To test for the robustness and effectiveness of the neural network algorithm, some of the features were removed from the training set and results showed a significant impact on the overall performance of the system. Hence, managing vertical handoffs through user preferences can be significantly affected with the selection of features used to provide the closest match of the available wireless networks.

Securing software defined networks: taxonomy, requirements, and open issues

The emergence of SDNs promises to dramatically simplify network management and enable innovation through network programmability. Despite all the hype surrounding SDNs, exploiting its full potential is demanding. Security is still the key concern and is an equally striking challenge that reduces the growth of SDNs. Moreover, the deployment of novel entities and the introduction of several architectural components of SDNs pose new security threats and vulnerabilities. Besides, the landscape of digital threats and cyber-attacks is evolving tremendously, considering SDNs as a potential target to have even more devastating effects than using simple networks. Security is not considered as part of the initial SDN design; therefore, it must be raised on the agenda. This article discusses the state-of-the-art security solutions proposed to secure SDNs. We classify the security solutions in the literature by presenting a thematic taxonomy based on SDN layers/interfaces, security measures, simulation environments, and security objectives. Moreover, the article points out the possible attacks and threat vectors targeting different layers/interfaces of SDNs. The potential requirements and their key enablers for securing SDNs are also identified and presented. Also, the article gives great guidance for secure and dependable SDNs. Finally, we discuss open issues and challenges of SDN security that may be deemed appropriate to be tackled by researchers and professionals in the future.

Self-healing sensor networks with distributed decision making

Sensor random locations and sensor failures can cause coverage holes, routing voids and disconnections and thus degrade sensor network performance. In this paper, we present a self-healing approach that utilises a few mobile sensors to deal with the problems. A mobile sensor can move to an area with a coverage hole or routing void and significantly improve network performance. We design distributed algorithms to detect coverage holes, estimate hole size and repair holes. A mobile sensor may receive multiple repair requests from different areas and it may not have complete information of the network. We present a fuzzy-logic-based distributed decision-making algorithm for mobile sensors. Extensive simulations demonstrate the good performance of proposed algorithms.

Enabling Communication Technologies for Smart Cities

Tremendous advancements in heterogeneous communication technologies have enabled smart cities objects to interact with each other while ensuring network connectivity. However, these communication technologies cannot provide flawless connectivity in smart cities due to the coexistence of thousands of devices, which brings about several problems. In this article, we discuss the enabling communication and networking technologies used in smart cities. The similarities and differences among different communication technologies based on the important parameters are also analyzed. Moreover, a taxonomy is devised by classifying the literature based on future and emerging technologies, modern communication technologies, IEEE wireless technology standards, objectives, network classes, and mode of operations. Furthermore, some reported case studies of different cities (Barcelona, Stratford, Singapore, and Porto) are also presented. Lastly, several research challenges, such as interference management, scalable wireless solutions, interoperability support among heterogeneous wireless networks, mobility management, and high energy consumption that remain to be addressed for enabling unimpaired connectivity in smart cities are discussed as future research directions.

Internet-of-Things-Based Smart Cities: Recent Advances and Challenges

The Internet of Things is a novel cutting edge technology that proffers to connect a plethora of digital devices endowed with several sensing, actuation, and computing capabilities with the Internet, thus offering manifold new services in the context of a smart city. The appealing IoT services and big data analytics are enabling smart city initiatives all over the world. These services are transforming cities by improving infrastructure and transportation systems, reducing traffic congestion, providing waste management, and improving the quality of human life. In this article, we devise a taxonomy to best bring forth a generic overview of the IoT paradigm for smart cities, integrated ICT, network types, possible opportunities and major requirements. Moreover, an overview of the up-to-date efforts from standard bodies is presented. Later, we give an overview of existing open source IoT platforms for realizing smart city applications followed by several exemplary case studies. In addition, we summarize the latest synergies and initiatives worldwide taken to promote IoT in the context of smart cities. Finally, we highlight several challenges in order to give future research directions.

NIS05-1: Performance Analysis of Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)

Advanced encryption standard has been proposed and implemented for several years as a new cipher to replace data encryption standard. There are many researches and applications using this new cipher. However, there is a need to provide its performance analysis in scenarios of network applications. In this paper, we provide an overhead analysis of advanced encryption standard and its performance in wireless networks.

Mobile ad hoc cloud: A survey

The unabated flurry of research activities to augment various mobile devices in terms of compute-intensive task execution by leveraging heterogeneous resources of available devices in the local vicinity has created a new research domain called mobile ad hoc cloud MAC or mobile cloud. It is a new type of mobile cloud computing MCC. MAC is deemed to be a candidate blueprint for future compute-intensive applications with the aim of delivering high functionalities and rich impressive experience to mobile users. However, MAC is yet in its infancy, and a comprehensive survey of the domain is still lacking. In this paper, we survey the state-of-the-art research efforts carried out in the MAC domain. We analyze several problems inhibiting the adoption of MAC and review corresponding solutions by devising a taxonomy. Moreover, MAC roots are analyzed and taxonomized as architectural components, applications, objectives, characteristics, execution model, scheduling type, formation technologies, and node types. The similarities and differences among existing proposed solutions by highlighting the advantages and disadvantages are also investigated. We also compare the literature based on objectives. Furthermore, our study advocates that the problems stem from the intrinsic characteristics of MAC by identifying several new principles. Lastly, several open research challenges such as incentives, heterogeneity-ware task allocation, mobility, minimal data exchange, and security and privacy are presented as future research directions. Copyright

A novel power control MAC protocol for mobile ad hoc networks

Power control is a critical issue to implement Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs). This paper presents a novel power control protocol, namely the Optimistic Power Control MAC (OPCM) protocol for its possible application in MANETs. The OPCM protocol works by increasing power level in the retransmission stage to guarantee the DATA reception, rather than controlling the power in the initial transmission stage. It will be shown through comprehensive computer simulations that the proposed OPCM protocol is energy efficient, while still being able to maintain a high throughput for MANETs.