Self-routing in pervasive computing environments using smart messages

Smart messages (SMs) are dynamic collections of code and data that migrate to nodes of interest in the network and execute on these nodes. A key challenge in programming pervasive computing environments using SMs is the ability to route SMs to nodes named by content. This paper describes the SM self-routing mechanism, which allows SMs to route themselves at each hop in the path toward a node of interest. SM applications can choose among multiple content based routing algorithms, switch dynamically the routing algorithm in use, or even implement the best suited routing algorithm for their needs. The main benefits provided by self-routing are high flexibility and resilience to adverse network conditions. To demonstrate these benefits, we present proof-of-concept implementation, simulation results, and analysis for the SM self-routing mechanism using several content-based routing algorithms. We also show preliminary results for SM routing algorithms executed over our SM prototype implementation.