Innovative Approaches to Resource Virtualization over Ad-Hoc Wireless Networks Navy STTR FY2010.A Sol No.: Navy STTR FY2010.A Topic No.: N10A-T006 Topic Title: Innovative Approaches to Resource Virtualization over Ad-Hoc Wireless Networks Proposal No.: N10A-006-0032 Firm: Infoscitex Corporation 303 Bear Hill Road Waltham, Massachusetts 02451-1016 Contact: Andrew DeCarlo Phone: (781) 890-1338 Web Site: www.infoscitex.com Abstract: Resource virtualization concepts are in heavy commercial use for optimizing the performance of distributed applications. Resource virtualization allows resources to be allocated and adapted on-the-fly, and enables a wide range of distributed computing, networking, and sensing applications. However, resource virtualization has traditionally been developed for fixed, stable networks, and cannot adequately function over mobile ad-hoc networks (MANETs). MANETs are highly variable, highly dynamic, unstable, and lacking in infrastructure, and pose additional challenges for resource virtualization. The Navy requires novel techniques for extending the benefits of resource virtualization to the challenges of MANETs. Infoscitex proposes opportunistic resource utilization networks (Oppnets). Oppnets are MANETs consisting of a seed network that temporarily recruits resources such as sensors, computers, lightweight clients, and networks. The Oppnets coordinate the capabilities and resources of diverse networks, sensors, and computational resources in a way that optimizes resource utilization across multiple hops. Benefits: Oppnets are an improvement upon existing resource virtualization middleware techniques. Oppnets include the ability to automatically optimize quality of service (QoS), which is not included in more stable wireless networks. Oppnets are also able to recruit a wide range of devices, such as sensors, computers, lightweight clients, and other MANETs, to perform the needed sensing, computational, and networking tasks. Moreover, Oppnets are modular, highly interoperable, platform-independent, extremely competitive economically, and are deployed incrementally. The main military application of Oppnets is to provide advanced, robust MANET capabilities to UAV systems such as the X-47B UCAS. In addition to improving the communications infrastructure of these UAV networks, Oppnets can also improve the performance of collaborative sense-and-seek in multiple UAV systems by recruiting sonobuoys and other sensor types. This extension of communications and sensor networks has proven successful in first-responder networks and in Air Force tactical networks. The Oppnet approach has wide commercial application, and can dramatically expand the range of resources available to personal-area networks (PANs) such as Bluetooth. This benefit would significantly advance the concepts of ubiquitous computing and ubiquitous networking. Return