NeTS: A Geo-Distributed Global Name Service Community Infrastructure to Spur Next-Generation Internet Applications

University Of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst MA

Investigators

Abstract

This project aims to develop a next-generation Global Name Service (GNS) infrastructure for broad community use. The GNS is analogous to the Internet's Domain Name System (DNS) or the Internet's so-called "telephone directory" but is significantly more powerful in its support for mobile applications and network functions in a trustworthy manner. The GNS is an outcome of the MobilityFirst Future Internet Architecture (FIA) project, but the research and development thus far has focused on its use within the context of MobilityFirst, not for the broader networking or FIA research community. Our position is that there is value in preparing the GNS for broader community use. To this end, this grant focuses on software development of the existing open-source GNS codebase to make it available to the broader community as well as a strong outreach program to FIA and other networking researchers. The scientific position, namely that a logically centralized GNS is critical for or can significantly benefit seamless mobility support in any Internetwork architecture, has been detailed in previous research conducted as part of the MobilityFirst FIA project. For example, XIA like MobilityFirst implicitly relies on a GNS to translate self-certifying endpoint identifiers to self-certifying network location identifiers. Information-centric network architectures such as NDN can benefit from the GNS for more efficient support for mobility of a content producer. Our position is that these and other network architectures including the existing TCP/IP Internet can further benefit from the GNS's other capabilities such as programmable resolution policies, contextual communication, assisting the routing layer, etc. This broader use potential has not been previously validated, especially not in active consultation with other researchers in the FIA or broader networking community. This project will undertake preliminary development and community education and feedback gathering activities aimed at establishing the value of a GNS for the broader networking research community. The broader impact of this project is to serve national and societal interest by helping develop a next-generation Internetwork. NSF has made a investment in the Future Internet Architecture program and in closely interrelated research and testbed development activities over the past decade. However, much of the work funded to date has been done in the context of specific FIA projects, and there is little precedent of key architectural components being seen as reusable and valuable to the broader networking community. Validating the GNS as a reusable and valuable architectural component is therefore opportune. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.