An experimental end-node architecture and communications middleware for dynamic proximity networks

In this paper, we present our experience in implementing an experimental end-node architecture and communications middleware that enables devices to (a) create and maintain ad-hoc connectivity in the absence of infrastructure support, (b) heal IP network partitions and resume active TCP sessions during intermittent connectivity, (c) detect network infrastructure (e.g. access points) when available and use it, and (d) discover devices and services currently attached to the network. In broader terms, our communications middleware includes a connection manager (CM) that provides and maintains the link-level and IP infrastructures and heal network partitions as they occur, arid a session manager (SM), which provides end-to-end active TCP-session support against intermittent connectivity and IP address changes. Finally, we provide some experimental results from a working implementation of our communications middleware on Linux devices and results from its support, of two example distributed applications, namely a distributed file browser and a multiplayer game.