Intrinsic Information Conveying for Network Coding Systems

This paper investigated the possibility of intrinsic information conveying in network coding systems. The information is embedded into the coding vector by constructing the vector based on a set of predefined rules. This information can subsequently be retrieved by any receiver. The starting point is Random Linear Network Coding (RLNC) and the goal is to reduce the amount of coding operations both at the coding and decoding node, and at the same time remove the need for dedicated signaling messages. In a traditional RLNC system, coding operation takes up significant computational resources and adds to the overall energy consumption, which is particular problematic for mobile battery-driven devices. In RLNC coding is performed over a Finite Field. We propose to divide this field into sub fields, and let each sub field signify some information or state. In order to embed the information correctly the coding operations must be performed in a particular way, which we introduce. Finally we evaluate the suggested system and find that the amount of coding can be significantly reduced both at nodes that recode and decode.