MILITARY AD-HOC NETWORKS

The highly successful architecture and protocols of today's Internet may operate poorly in environments characterized by very long delay paths and frequent network partitions. Often deployed in mobile and extreme environments lacking continuous connectivity, many such networks have their own specialized protocols, and do not utilize IP. The DTN architecture operates as an overlay above the transport layers of the networks, it interconnects and provides key services such as in-network data storage and retransmission, authenticated forwarding and a wide class of service. An example of such network is Military Ad-Hoc Network which may operate in hostile environments where mobility, environmental factors, or intentional jamming may be cause for disconnection. In addition, data traffic on these networks may have to compete for bandwidth with other services at higher priority. Such systems also may have especially strong infrastructure protection requirements.