The cache-and-forward network architecture for efficient mobile content delivery services in the future internet

This paper presents a novel "cache-and-forward" (CNF) protocol architecture for mobile content delivery services in the future Internet. The CNF architecture can be implemented as an overlay on top of the Internet Protocol (IP), or as a clean slate protocol for next-generation networks. CNF is based on the concept of store-and-forward routers with large storage, providing for opportunistic delivery to occasionally disconnected mobile users and for in-network caching of content. The proposed CNF protocol uses reliable hop-by-hop transfer of large data files between CNF routers in place of an end-to-end transport protocol like TCP. This approach makes it possible to serve mobile users with intermittent connectivity, while also mitigating self- interference problems which arise in multi-hop wireless scenarios. Hop-by-hop transport is similarly useful in wired networks where router storage can help to smooth out link congestion bottlenecks which arise in TCP/IP networks. A second key feature of the CNF protocol is the integration of address- based and content-based routing to support various content delivery modes that take advantage of in-network storage. An overview of the CNF architecture and major protocol components is given, and preliminary performance evaluation results are summarized to validate the main design principles.