CafNet : a carry-and-forward delay-tolerant network

Abstract

In this thesis, I designed and implemented a delay-tolerant network stack that allows applications to send messages to other network nodes when no end-to-end connectivity is present. CafNet, the Carry-and-Forward Network, is a delay-tolerant network stack with a CafNet Transport Layer, a CafNet Network Layer, and one or more Mule Adaptation Layers, corresponding to the traditional transport, network, and link layers. Nodes can connect to other nodes through a variety of link mechanisms, and in some cases, the data itself can be physically carried, such as on a USB key or a PDA. CafNet prioritizes messages such that data with a higher priority is sent during short bursts of connectivity. The stack was tested on embedded PC systems used in cars for the CarTel project to determine its performance.