Professor Shankar will investigate techniques for the specification, verification, and logical construction of hierarchies of protocol layers. A computer network has several layers of protocols, each improving on the services offered by the layer below. A real protocol layer is typically a large system of several functions such as connection management, multiplexing, data transfer, channel sharing, routing, error control, flow control, and multi-access. Research includes the development of service specifications for various protocol layer interfaces and protocol entity specifications that guarantee the interface specifications. The study is intended to achieve rigorous understanding of protocol mechanisms essential for reliable and efficient internetworking and the exploitation of new technologies such as obtaining minimal specifications of protocol service and protocol entities that guarantee interoperability of different implementations without undue constraints, interfacing between protocol hierarchies, and dynamic behavior of routing hierarchies.
