Issues for proliferated survivable network design

Proliferation of nodes has been suggested as a means to achieve reliable communications even when a significant fraction of a network is destroyed. The authors examine issues associated with the design of proliferated, survivable networks based on a layered architecture. A concept for proliferated network operation is outlined, and measures of network performance are described. Threats to each network layer are examined, and survivable network design issues are discussed. It is concluded that proliferating network nodes, using multimedia and interconnecting networks, can enhance communication network survivability.<>