Bulk Data Transfer with Store-and-Forward in Wide Area Networks

By delaying bulk but delay tolerant data transfers in networks with one or more congested links, the performance and utility of the network can be improved. However, SnF (Store and Forward) introduces significant complexity in the control plane, especially when the network is large and number of requests to be handled is big. This limits its use in real networks. In this paper, we discuss the challenges of SnF of bulk data in WANs, with a particular focus on the control perspective. We summarize our past and ongoing work on this subject and also point out future research directions.