The current Internet architecture is built around layers of different functions, where the Network Layer provides a technology-independent abstraction on top of a large set of autonomous, heterogeneous networks. The Internet Protocol (IP) is one mechanism for achieving such an abstraction. By making the choice for a rudimentary "best-effort" service, the Internet has not been able to effectively respond to new requirements (security, manageability, wireless, mobility, and so forth.) The rigid structure of the current IP model has led to numerous ad hoc solutions that are either inefficient or incomplete.
This project is aimed at developing a clean-slate Recursive Internet Architecture(RINA) that is based on the fundamental principle that networking is inter-process communication (IPC). In this model, application processes(APes) communicate via a distributed IPC facility. The IPC processes that make up this facility provide a protocol that implements an IPC mechanism, and a protocol for managing distributed IPC (routing, security and other management tasks). RINA views each IPC facility as a "private" network, thus it offers intrinsic security features. And it is recursive in that the IPC processes can themselves be APes requesting services from lower IPC facilities. This project will design and develop the repeating structures of RINA, along with various policies seen useful in support of security, multihoming, mobility, and manageability. The developed IPC mechanisms build upon recursive naming and addressing of IPC processes, separation of mechanism and policy, and isolating data transfer, control and management. The developed prototype will be tested on small and larger-scale testbeds.
