Free-riding the BitTorrent DHT to improve DTN connectivity

Abstract

Until now there exists no standardized or widely-used name resolution mechanism for Bundle Protocol based DTNs. In local IP based networks the IP Neighbor Discovery (IPND) protocol provides link-local discovery of DTN neighbors, however in the Internet there is no mechanism that maps Bundle Protocol addresses (EIDs) to Convergence Layer addresses. This seriously hampers connectivity in the DTNBone. In this paper we argue, that a DHT-based naming mechanism is a good fit for DTN networks. We show the advantages of using the existing DHT infrastructure from the BitTorrent file sharing network as a basis instead of rolling out a custom solution. We will present experiences and performance measures with a lightweight implementation of the proposed system that we began to distribute as integrated component of the IBR-DTN Bundle Protocol implementation.