Future Innovative Network Design (FIND) Architecture Planning and Coordination

Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

CNS ? 0836555 Clark This award describes a set of tasks that fit within the larger context of the FIND portion of the CISE NetSE program.. FIND considers the question of what a future global network of 10 or 15 years should be, and what research is required to build it. A number of factors will differentiate the research funded in this networking focus area from more traditional NSF-supported research, including the need to bring a number of separately funded research teams together over the course of their projects, with the goal of convergence toward a small number of coherent proposals for network architecture. This special goal signals that some tasks will have to be undertaken that would not normally be proposed or funded in the context of the traditional solicitation process. This proposal is intended to work with NSF in achieving its overall goals for this project by addressing some of these special needs. The tasks deal with the following issues: architecture framing and groundwork, working meetings and other tools for community building, outreach, ongoing program planning, identification of research priorities (and possible missing areas of investigation), and integration of non-NSF funded parties into the coordination process. The principal investigator will develop and assemble points of view about architectural principles and design approaches, and work with the community to see how their work (and new work they might potentially propose) can fit into a larger picture of future networking. Intellectual merit: The intellectual merit of this proposal is the potential to shift the landscape of research in computer networking, and to define a broader and longer-range target for the research community. This work can lead to a more coherent articulation of long-range requirements for a future network, and a growing understanding in the community of the relationship between requirements and mechanism. This work can lead to a substantive shift in focus of specific sub-fields, such as security. It can lead to new understanding of Internet design alternatives. These outcomes will not be in consequence of this proposal alone, but this proposed work will increase the focus and coherence of the overall effort and assist NetSE-FIND in meeting its long-term goals. Broader impact: The broader impact of this work will be measured two ways. First, it will be measured by the success of the FIND project in the world at large. The goal of FIND is to offer to the world a better Internet: more secure, more predictable, and more relevant to tomorrow?s needs. This initiative, if successful, will have a highly visible impact of major proportions. The goal of this proposal, in particular, is to nurture the process of turning research contributions from individuals and small teams into a larger, organized assault on the high-level goal. Second, the broader impact will be measured by the enthusiasm and willingness for the research community, including younger researchers, to participate in this sort of transformative research. The proposed work includes outreach into the broad research community to encourage this outcome