Sharing Resources in Group-Oriented Networks Fednet and Related Paradigms

A personal network (PN) is a network composed of devices of a person that can communicate with each other independently from their geographical location. An extra functionality added to PNs can enable different persons to cooperate and to form a group-oriented network called a Federation of Personal Networks (Fednet). A Fednet is a secure, opportunity or purpose driven ad-hoc network for sharing personal resources. A Fednet can be composed for applications in different areas, e.g. education, entertainment, business, emergency. A number of technologies and paradigms for sharing resources and services has been reported in the literature, such as grids, virtual organizations, Secure virtual enclaves and P2P networks. In order to place Fednets amongst them, in this paper, we introduce the Fednet concept and describe its functional architecture. Then we provide a survey on related paradigms, and discuss the differences and similarities between them and Fednets emphasizing the mechanisms for controlling the access to shared resources.