CIF: Small: Large-Scale Software Dissemination in Stochastic Wireless Networks

Trustees Of Boston University, Boston

Investigators

Abstract

Commercial providers are increasingly permitting third-party developers to write and implement their own software applications on wireless devices, ranging from sensors to 3G cellular phones. As the number of applications and users grow, reliable software dissemination is quickly emerging as a key enabling technology, providing fundamental reprogramming services, such as software download, updates and security patching. Intellectual Merit This project aims to develop analytical foundations for efficient software dissemination in loss-prone wireless networks, measured in terms of delay and communication/computational speed. Planned research will proceed along four thrusts: 1) PERFORMANCE LIMITS: mathematically formalizing the problem of software dissemination in multi-hop wireless networks using stochastic shortest path optimization based on the theory of Markov Decision Processes; 2) LARGE-SCALE ASYMPTOTICS: analyzing performance at high node densities using extreme-value theory and comparing state-of-the-art technologies, including rateless coding, packet-level channel hopping, and physical-layer cooperation; 3) ACK-LESS PROTOCOLS: eliminating control traffic (e.g., ACKnowledgments), with high probability, using a combination of extreme-value theory and shifted rateless codes; 4) IMPLEMENTATION: implementing theoretically-based software dissemination protocols on sensor motes and, subsequently, on Android-capable smartphones. Broader Impact This work promises a broad impact to various societal needs. On an education level, open cell phone programming expertise will be incorporated into innovative class assignments and labs taught by the PIs, including Software Engineering, Algorithms, and Networking. On a commercial side, the research identifies and provides directions for fundamental issues that will face private enterprises attempting to capitalize on emerging smartphone capabilities. The PIs will also expedite research transfer through liaisons with local and international industrial partners. Finally, the project will establish theoretical connections between disconnected fields, most notably bringing tools primarily used in civil and financial engineering into computing and communication.