Performance Characteristics of Convergence Layers in Delay Tolerant Networks
Mithun Roy Rajan · OhioLink ETD Center (Ohio Library and Information Network) · 2011
Delay Tolerant Networks (DTNs) are designed to operate in environments with high delays, significant losses and intermittent connectivity.Internet protocols like TCP/IP and UDP/IP are not designed to perform effectively in challenging environments.DTN uses the Bundle Protocol which is an overlay protocol to store and forward data units.This Bundle Protocol works in cooperation with convergence layers to function in extreme environments.The convergence layers augment the underlying communication layer to provide services like reliable delivery and message boundaries.This research focuses on the kind of performance that can be expected from two such convergence layers -the TCP Convergence Layer and the Licklider Transmission Protocol Convergence Layer -under various realistic conditions.Tests were conducted to calculate the throughput using these convergence layers under different losses and delays.The throughput that was obtained using different convergence layers was compared and the performance patterns were analyzed to determine which of these convergence layers has a higher performance under the various scenarios.