A Future Internet architecture supporting multipath communication networks

The classic layered OSI reference model has reached its limits for the Internet of today. In this paper, we propose a clean-slate conceptual design of a new architecture as a contribution to the ongoing discussion on the Future Internet. We address the shortcomings of the layered model by redesigning the classical model. Our approach differs from the concepts found in prior work, which focus on special parts of the problems (such as the application, the service or the event) by staggering back a couple of steps and trying to see the requirements from a different perspective. Our concept - which is denoted as Encapsulated Responsibility-Centric Architecture Model (ERiCA) - focuses on determining the responsibilities by using different planes in addition to a partitioning of the network into different decision domains. With this partitioning, we can reduce the complexity of providing a certain service.