Distance-Based Content Routing Protocol for ICN
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing name-based routing in Information Centric Networks (ICN) is inefficient due to the need for extensive calculation and bandwidth overhead, often relying on mechanisms like flooding and maintaining network topology information, which do not scale well and create bottlenecks.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a Distance-based Content Routing (DCR) protocol that creates loop-free routes to anchors without exchanging network topology information, using identifiers and routing metrics to determine suitable next-hop neighbors and designate anchor nodes, allowing for efficient routing of content requests without knowledge of all content locations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing name-based routing mechanisms (flooding, topology maintenance, DHT overlays) are used in ICN, then content routing functionality is achieved, but network overhead and calculation burden increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the need for explicit network topology information exchange from the routing process. Instead of maintaining full topology knowledge, routers only need to know next-hop information for reaching anchors, significantly reducing the information that must be exchanged and stored in the network.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the traditional approach by having anchors (content sources) actively advertise their locations to the network, rather than having routers query or maintain topology information about anchors. This reversal shifts the information dissemination burden to content sources and simplifies router functionality.
2Reliability
If network topology information is exchanged and maintained for name-based routing, then routing routes can be established, but bandwidth overhead and routing inefficiency increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential next-hop routing information needed to reach anchors, discarding the need to exchange and maintain complete network topology information. This selective information exchange dramatically reduces bandwidth consumption while still enabling effective routing.
3Reliability
If flooding mechanisms are used for content request forwarding, then content requests can reach all potential anchors, but network bandwidth is wasted and scaling becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the flooding mechanism entirely, replacing it with targeted unicast forwarding based on next-hop routing tables. Routers forward requests only toward the appropriate anchor using pre-established routing information, preventing unnecessary traffic while ensuring reliable delivery.
4Loss of information
If anchors advertise content locations using existing protocols, then content availability information is disseminated, but extensive calculation and information processing burden the network
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and simplifies the advertisement process to include only essential information: anchor identifier, content name, and next-hop routing information. This minimal information set reduces processing burden while maintaining complete content availability knowledge in the network.
Data Source
AI summary
One embodiment of the present invention provides a computing system. The computing system includes a processor and a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium stores instructions which when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform a method. The method comprises identifying an identifier of an anchor node associated with a name in an update message received from a neighbor node. The anchor node stores a content object identifiable based on the name independent of the anchor node. The method also comprises determining a valid next-hop neighbor in the ICN for the name based on a sequence number of the update message generated by the anchor node and lexicographic order of an identifier of the neighbor node; and determining whether the anchor node is a designated anchor node based on the validity of the next-hop neighbor and a routing metric for the anchor node.