Inter-Domain Routing and Data Replication in Virtual Coordinate Based Networks

In recent work it has been shown that the use of virtual coordinates or identifiers for efficient routing and data management has several advantages compared to the use of predefined addresses or geographical coordinates. However, these advantages only hold for single domain networks with limited mobility. In this paper, we discuss the challenges arising from using virtual coordinates for routing (to a particular sensor ID or to indexed data or resources) in ad hoc and sensor networks in multi-domain network scenarios. We show the feasibility of inter-domain routing by exploiting a concept that is central to most virtual coordinate approaches: the availability of data management operation using a DHT like mechanism. Based on the Virtual Cord Protocol (VCP), we show how inter-domain routing can be realized using appropriate indirections. Furthermore, we investigate the possibility of replicating data among different networks, or DHTs, to provide seamless data access in multi-domain environments. Our simulation results clearly show that both functions can be realized with only marginal overhead.