Architectural and mobility management designs in internet-based infrastructure wireless mesh networks

Wireless mesh networks (WMNs) have recently emerged to be a cost-effective solution to support large-scale wireless Internet access. They have numerous ap- plications, such as broadband Internet access, building automation, and intelligent transportation systems. One research challenge for Internet-based WMNs is to design efficient mobility management techniques for mobile users to achieve seamless roam- ing. Mobility management includes handoff management and location management. The objective of this research is to design new handoff and location management techniques for Internet-based infrastructure WMNs. Handoff management enables a wireless network to maintain active connections as mobile users move into new service areas. Previous solutions on handoff manage- ment in infrastructure WMNs mainly focus on intra-gateway mobility. New handoff issues involved in inter-gateway mobility in WMNs have not been properly addressed. Hence, a new architectural design is proposed to facilitate inter-gateway handoff man- agement in infrastructure WMNs. The proposed architecture is designed to specifi- cally address the special handoff design challenges in Internet-based WMNs. It can facilitate parallel executions of handoffs from multiple layers, in conjunction with a data caching mechanism which guarantees minimum packet loss during handoffs. Based on the proposed architecture, a Quality of Service (QoS) handoff mechanism is also proposed to achieve QoS requirements for both handoff and existing traffic before and after handoffs in the inter-gateway WMN environment. Location management in wireless networks serves the purpose of tracking mobile users and locating them prior to establishing new communications. Existing location management solutions proposed for single-hop wireless networks cannot be directly applied to Internet-based WMNs. Hence, a dynamic location management framework in Internet-based WMNs is proposed that can guarantee the location management performance and also minimize the protocol overhead. In addition, a novel resilient location area design in Internet-based WMNs is also proposed. The formation of the location areas can adapt to the changes of both paging load and service load so that the tradeoff between paging overhead and mobile device power consumption can be balanced, and at the same time, the required QoS performance of existing traffic is maintained. Therefore, together with the proposed handoff management design, efficient mobility management can be realized in Internet-based infrastructure WMNs

Design of multi-homing architecture for mobile hosts

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.This thesis proposes a new multi-homing mobile architecture for future heterogeneous network environment. First, a new multi-homed mobile architecture called Multi Network Switching enabled Mobile IPv6 (MNS-MIP6) is proposed which enables a Mobile Node (MN) having multiple communication paths between itself and its Correspondent Node (CN) to take full advantage of being multi-homed. Multiple communication paths exist because MN, CN, or both are simultaneously attached to multiple access networks. A new sub layer is introduced within IP layer of the host’s protocol stack. A context is established between the MN and the CN. Through this context, additional IP addresses are exchanged between the two. Our MNS-MIP6 architecture allows one communication to smoothly switch from one interface/communication path to another. This switch remains transparent to other layers above IP. Second, to make communication more reliable in multi-homed mobile environments, a new failure detection and recovery mechanism called Mobile Reach ability Protocol (M-REAP) is designed within the proposed MNS-MIP6 architecture. The analysis shows that our new mechanism makes communication more reliable than the existing failure detection and recovery procedures in multi-homed mobile environments. Third, a new network selection mechanism is introduced in the proposed architecture which enables a multi-homed MN to choose the network best suited for particular application traffic. A Policy Engine is defined which takes parameters from iv the available networks, compares them according to application profiles and user preferences, and chooses the best network. The results show that in multi-homed mobile environment, load can be shared among different networks/interfaces through our proposed load sharing mechanism. Fourth, a seamless handover procedure is introduced in the system which enables multi-homed MN to seamlessly roam in a heterogeneous network environment. Layer 2 triggers are defined which assist in handover process. When Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) on a currently used active interface becomes low, a switch is made to a different active interface. We show through mathematical and simulation analysis that our proposed scheme outperforms the existing popular handover management enhancement scheme in MIPv6 networks namely Fast Handover for MIPv6 (FMIPv6). Finally, a mechanism is introduced to allow legacy hosts to communicate with MNS-MIP6 MNs and gain the benefits of reliability, load sharing and seamless handover. The mechanism involves introducing middle boxes in CN’s network. These boxes are called Proxy-MNS boxes. Context is established between the middle boxes and a multi-homed MN

Design of interface selection protocols for multi-homed wireless networks

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University on 10 December 2010.The IEEE 802.11/802.16 standards conformant wireless communication stations have multi-homing transmission capability. To achieve greater communication efficiency, multi-homing capable stations use handover mechanism to select appropriate transmission channel according to variations in the channel quality. This thesis presents three internal-linked handover schemes, (1) Interface Selection Protocol (ISP), belonging to Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN)- Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) environment (2) Fast Channel Scanning (FCS) and (3) Traffic Manager (TM), (2) and (3) belonging to WiMAX Environment. The proposed schemes in this thesis use a novel mechanism of providing a reliable communication route. This solution is based on a cross-layer communication framework, where the interface selection module uses various network related parameters from Medium Access Control (MAC) sub-layer/Physical Layer (PHY) across the protocol suite for decision making at the Network layer. The proposed solutions are highly responsive when compared with existing multi-homed schemes; responsiveness is one of the key factors in the design of such protocols. Selected route under these schemes is based on the most up to date link-layer information. Therefore, such a route is not only reliable in terms of route optimization but it also fulfils the application demands in terms of throughput and delay. Design of ISP protocol use probing frames during the route discovery process. The 802.11 mandates the use of different rates for data transmission frames. The ISP-metric can be incorporated into various routing aspects and its applicability is determined by the possibility of provision of MAC dependent parameters that are used to determine the best path metric values. In many cases, higher device density, interference and mobility cause variable medium access delays. It causes creation of ‘unreachable zones’, where destination is marked as unreachable. However, by use of the best path metric, the destination has been made reachable, anytime and anywhere, because of the intelligent use of the probing frames and interface selection algorithm implemented. The IEEE 802.16e introduces several MAC level queues for different access categories, maintaining service requirement within these queues; which imply that frames from a higher priority queue, i.e. video frames, are serviced more frequently than those belonging to lower priority queues. Such an enhancement at the MAC sub-layer introduces uneven queuing delays. Conventional routing protocols are unaware of such MAC specific constraints and as a result, these factors are not considered which result in channel performance degradation. To meet such challenges, the thesis presents FCS and TM schemes for WiMAX. For FCS, Its solution is to improve the mobile WiMAX handover and address the scanning latency. Since minimum scanning time is the most important issue in the handover process. This handover scheme aims to utilize the channel efficiently and apply such a procedure to reduce the time it takes to scan the neighboring access stations. TM uses MAC and physical layer (PHY) specific information in the interface metric and maintains a separate path to destination by applying an alternative interface operation. Simulation tests and comparisons with existing multi-homed protocols and handover schemes demonstrate the effectiveness of incorporating the medium dependent parameters. Moreover, show that suggested schemes, have shown better performance in terms of end-to-end delay and throughput, with efficiency up to 40% in specific test scenarios

Framework to facilitate smooth handovers between mobile IPv6 networks

Fourth generation (4G) mobile communication networks are characterised by heterogeneous access networks and IP based transport technologies. Different access technologies give users choices to select services such as levels of Quality of Service (QoS) support, business models and service providers. Flexibility of heterogeneous access is compounded by the overhead of scanning to discover accessible services, which added to the handoff latency. This thesis has developed mechanisms for service discovery and service selection, along with a novel proposal for mobility management architectures that reduced handoff latency. The service discovery framework included a service advertisement data repository and a single frequency band access mechanism, which enabled users to explore services offered by various operators with a reduced scanning overhead. The novel hierarchical layout of the repository enabled it to categorise information into various layers and facilitate location based information retrieval. The information made available by the repository included cost, bandwidth, Packet Loss (PL), latency, jitter, Bit Error Rate (BER), location and service connectivity information. The single frequency band access mechanism further enabled users to explore service advertisements in the absence of their main service providers. The single frequency access mechanism broadcasted service advertisements information piggybacked onto a router advertisement packet on a reserved frequency band for advertisements. Results indicated that scanning 13 channels on 802.11 b interface takes 189ms whereas executing a query with maximum permissible search parameters on the service advertisement data repository takes 67ms. A service selection algorithm was developed to make handoff decisions utilising the service advertisements acquired from the service discovery framework; based on a user's preference. The selection algorithm reduced the calculation overhead by eliminating unsuitable networks; based on interface compatibility, service provider location, unacceptable QoS (Quality of service) and unacceptable cost; from the selection process. The selection algorithm utilised cost, bandwidth, PL, latency, jitter, BER and terminal power for computing the most suitable network. Results indicated that the elimination based approach has improved the performance of the algorithm by 35% over non- elimination oriented selection procedures, even after utilising more selection parameters. The service discovery framework and the service selection algorithm are flexible enough to be employed in most mobility management architectures. The thesis recommends Seamless Mobile Internet Protocol (SMIP) as a mobility management scheme based on the simulation results. The SMIP protocol, a combination of Hierarchical Mobile Internet Protocol (HMIP) and Fast Mobile Internet Protocol (FMIP), suffered hand off latency increases when undergoing a global handoff due to HMIP. The proposed modification to the HMIP included the introduction of a coverage area overlap, to reduce the global handoff latency. The introduction of a Home Address (HA) in Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN) binding table enabled seamless handoffs from WLANs by having a redirection mechanism for the user's packets after handoff. The thesis delivered a new mobility management architecture with mechanisms for service discovery and service selection. The proposed framework enabled user oriented, application centric and terminal based approach for selecting IPv6 networks

MOBILITY SUPPORT ARCHITECTURES FOR NEXT-GENERATION WIRELESS NETWORKS

With the convergence of the wireless networks and the Internet and the booming demand for multimedia applications, the next-generation (beyond the third generation, or B3G) wireless systems are expected to be all IP-based and provide real-time and non-real-time mobile services anywhere and anytime. Powerful and efficient mobility support is thus the key enabler to fulfil such an attractive vision by supporting various mobility scenarios. This thesis contributes to this interesting while challenging topic. After a literature review on mobility support architectures and protocols, the thesis starts presenting our contributions with a generic multi-layer mobility support framework, which provides a general approach to meet the challenges of handling comprehensive mobility issues. The cross-layer design methodology is introduced to coordinate the protocol layers for optimised system design. Particularly, a flexible and efficient cross-layer signalling scheme is proposed for interlayer interactions. The proposed generic framework is then narrowed down with several fundamental building blocks identified to be focused on as follows. As widely adopted, we assume that the IP-based access networks are organised into administrative domains, which are inter-connected through a global IP-based wired core network. For a mobile user who roams from one domain to another, macro (inter-domain) mobility management should be in place for global location tracking and effective handoff support for both real-time and non-real-lime applications. Mobile IP (MIP) and the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) are being adopted as the two dominant standard-based macro-mobility architectures, each of which has mobility entities and messages in its own right. The work explores the joint optimisations and interactions of MIP and SIP when utilising the complementary power of both protocols. Two distinctive integrated MIP-SIP architectures are designed and evaluated, compared with their hybrid alternatives and other approaches. The overall analytical and simulation results shown significant performance improvements in terms of cost-efficiency, among other metrics. Subsequently, for the micro (intra-domain) mobility scenario where a mobile user moves across IP subnets within a domain, a micro mobility management architecture is needed to support fast handoffs and constrain signalling messaging loads incurred by intra-domain movements within the domain. The Hierarchical MIPv6 (HMIPv6) and the Fast Handovers for MIPv6 (FMIPv6) protocols are selected to fulfil the design requirements. The work proposes enhancements to these protocols and combines them in an optimised way. resulting in notably improved performances in contrast to a number of alternative approaches

Descentralização da gestão da mobilidade IP nas redes do futuro

Doutoramento em Engenharia ElectrotécnicaThe massive adoption of sophisticated mobile devices and applications led to the increase of mobile data in the last decade, which it is expected to continue. This increase of mobile data negatively impacts the network planning and dimension, since core networks are heavy centralized. Mobile operators are investigating atten network architectures that distribute the responsibility of providing connectivity and mobility, in order to improve the network scalability and performance. Moreover, service providers are moving the content servers closer to the user, in order to ensure high availability and performance of content delivery. Besides the e orts to overcome the explosion of mobile data, current mobility management models are heavy centralized to ensure reachability and session continuity to the users connected to the network. Nowadays, deployed architectures have a small number of centralized mobility anchors managing the mobile data and the mobility context of millions of users, which introduces issues related to performance and scalability that require costly network mechanisms. The mobility management needs to be rethought out-of-the box to cope with atten network architectures and distributed content servers closer to the user, which is the purpose of the work developed in this Thesis. The Thesis starts with a characterization of mobility management into well-de ned functional blocks, their interaction and potential grouping. The decentralized mobility management is studied through analytical models and simulations, in which di erent mobility approaches distinctly distribute the mobility management functionalities through the network. The outcome of this study showed that decentralized mobility management brings advantages. Hence, it was proposed a novel distributed and dynamic mobility management approach, which is exhaustively evaluated through analytical models, simulations and testbed experiments. The proposed approach is also integrated with seamless horizontal handover mechanisms, as well as evaluated in vehicular environments. The mobility mechanisms are also speci ed for multihomed scenarios, in order to provide data o oading with IP mobility from cellular to other access networks. In the pursuing of the optimized mobile routing path, a novel network-based strategy for localized mobility is addressed, in which a replication binding system is deployed in the mobility anchors distributed through the access routers and gateways. Finally, we go further in the mobility anchoring subject, presenting a context-aware adaptive IP mobility anchoring model that dynamically assigns the mobility anchors that provide the optimized routing path to a session, based on the user and network context. The integration of dynamic and distributed concepts in the mobility management, such as context-aware adaptive mobility anchoring and dynamic mobility support, allow the optimization of network resources and the improvement of user experience. The overall outcome demonstrates that decentralized mobility management is a promising direction, hence, its ideas should be taken into account by mobile operators in the deployment of future networks.Na última década verificou-se uma massificação dos dispositivos móveis e das suas aplicações, o que tem vindo a aumentar o consumo de dados móveis. Este aumento dificulta o planeamento e dimensionamento das redes devido principalmente aos modelos extremamente centralizados adoptados por estas. Os operadores móveis têm vindo a estudar modelos mais até para as redes, os quais distribuem a responsabilidade de fornecer conectividade e mobilidade, no sentido de melhorar a escalabilidade e desempenho da rede. Além disso, de forma a garantir um desempenho elevado na entrega dos conteúdos, os fornecedores de serviço têm vindo a mover os servidores de conteúdos para locais mais próximos do utilizador. Apesar do esforço na procura de soluções para o crescente consumo de dados móveis, os modelos atuais de gestão de mobilidade são demasiado centralizados para conseguir assegurar a continuidade de sessão aos utilizadores conectados à rede. As arquiteturas implementadas têm um número muito reduzido de âncoras móveis centralizadas que gerem todos os dados móveis e a informação de contexto da mobilidade, o que leva a uma diminuição de desempenho e escalabilidade, solucionadas através de mecanismos de rede dispendiosos. A gestão da mobilidade precisa de ser repensada de forma a poder lidar com arquiteturas de rede até com a distribuição dos servidores de conteúdos para nós mais próximos dos utilizadores, que é o objectivo principal da Tese apresentada. Primeiro, é apresentada a caracterização da gestão de mobilidade em blocos funcionais, a interação entre eles e potenciais agrupamentos dos mesmos. A gestão da mobilidade descentralizada é estudada através de modelos analíticos e simulações, em que diferentes abordagens distribuem as funcionalidades da mobilidade pela rede. Como resultado deste estudo verificou-se que a descentralização da mobilidade traz vantagens claras. Com base nestes resultados foi proposta uma nova abordagem de gestão de mobilidade distribuída e dinâmica, que é exaustivamente avaliada através de modelos analíticos, simulações e experiências numa bancada de testes. A abordagem proposta é também integrada com mecanismos de handovers horizontais transparentes, assim como é avaliada em ambientes veiculares. Os mecanismos de mobilidade da abordagem proposta são também especificados para cenários de multihoming, de forma a proporcionar o offloading de dados com suporte de mobilidade das redes celulares para outras redes de acesso. Com o objectivo de optimizar o encaminhamento de dados móveis, foi criada uma nova estratégia para o suporte da mobilidade localizada, em que um sistema de replicação de bindings é integrado nas âncoras de mobilidade distribuídas através dos routers de acesso e dos gateways. Finalmente apresenta-se um modelo de ancoramento adaptativo para a mobilidade com base em contexto, o qual dinamicamente determina as âncoras de mobilidade que oferecem a melhor rota para uma dada sessão, baseado na informação do utilizador e da rede. A integração de conceitos de dinamismo e de distribuição na gestão da mobilidade, como o ancoramento adaptativo e o suporte dinâmico da mobilidade, permitem a optimização dos recursos da rede e uma melhor experiência por parte do utilizador. Os resultados demonstram, de uma forma geral, que a gestão descentralizada da mobilidade é um caminho promissor, logo este deve ser tomado em consideração pelas operadoras móveis aquando do desenvolvimento das redes do futuro

Algorithmes d'adressage et routage pour des réseaux fortement mobiles à grande échelle

After successfully connecting machines and people later (world wide web), the new era of In-ternet is about connecting things. Due to increasing demands in terms of addresses, mobility, scalability, security and other new unattended challenges, the evolution of current Internet archi-tecture is subject to major debate worldwide. The Internet Architecture Board (IAB) workshop on Routing and Addressing report described the serious scalability problems faced by large backbone operators in terms of routing and addressing, illustrated by the unsustainable growth of the Default Free Zone (DFZ) routing tables. Some proposals tackled the scalability and IP semantics overload issues with two different approaches: evolutionary approach (backward com-patibility) or a revolutionary approach. Several design objectives (technical or high-level) guided researchers in their proposals. Mobility is definitely one of the main challenges.Inter-Vehicle Communication (IVC) attracts considerable attention from the research com-munity and the industry for its potential in providing Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and passengers services. Vehicular Ad-Hoc Networks (VANETs) are emerging as a class of wire-less network, formed between moving vehicles equipped with wireless interfaces (cellular and WiFi) employing heterogeneous communication systems. A VANET is a form of mobile ad-hoc network that provides IVC among nearby vehicles and may involve the use of a nearby fixed equipment on the roadside. The impact of Internet-based vehicular services (infotainment) are quickly developing. Some of these applications, driver assistance services or traffic reports, have been there for a while. But market-enabling applications may also be an argument in favor of a more convenient journey. Such use cases are viewed as a motivation to further adoption of the ITS standards developed within IEEE, ETSI, and ISO.This thesis focuses on applying Future Internet paradigm to vehicle-to-Internet communica-tions in an attempt to define the solution space of Future Vehicular Internet. We first introduce two possible vehicle-to-Internet use cases and great enablers for IP based services : eHealth and Fully-electric Vehicles. We show how to integrate those use cases into IPv6 enabled networks. We further focus on the mobility architectures and determine the fundamental components of a mobility architecture. We then classify those approaches into centralized and distributed to show the current trends in terms of network mobility extension, an essential component to vehicular networking. We eventually analyze the performance of these proposals. In order to define an identifier namespace for vehicular communications, we introduce the Vehicle Identification Numbers are possible candidates. We then propose a conversion algorithm that preserves the VIN characteristics while mapping it onto usable IPv6 networking objects (ad-dresses, prefixes, and Mobile Node Identifiers). We make use of this result to extend LISP-MN protocol with the support of our VIN6 addressing architecture. We also apply those results to group IP-based communications, when the cluster head is in charge of a group of followers.Cette thèse a pour objectif de faire avancer l'état de l'art des communications basée sur Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) dans le domaine des réseaux véhiculaires, et ce dans le cadre des évolutions récentes de IP, notamment l'avènement du Future Internet. Le Future Internet (F.I.) définit un ensemble d'approches pour faire évoluer l'Internet actuel , en particulier l'émergence d'un Internet mobile exigeant en ressources. Les acteurs de ce domaine définissent les contraintes inhérentes aux approches utilisées historiquement dans l'évolution de l'architecture d'Internet et tentent d'y remédier soit de manière évolutive soit par une rupture technologique (révolutionnaire). Un des problèmes au centre de cette nouvelle évolution d'Internet est la question du nommage et de l'adressage dans le réseau. Nous avons entrepris dans cette thèse l'étude de ce problème, dans le cadre restreint des communications véhiculaires Internet.Dans ce contexte, l'état de l'art du Future Internet a mis en avant les distinctions des approches révolutionnaires comparées aux propositions évolutives basées sur IPv6. Les réseaux véhiculaires étant d'ores-et-déjà dotés de piles protocolaires comprenant une extension IPv6, nous avons entamé une approche évolutive visant à intégrer les réseaux véhiculaires au Future Internet. Une première proposition a été de convertir un identifiant présent dans le monde automobile (VIN, Numéro d'Identification de Véhicule) en un lot d'adresses réseau propres à chaque véhicule (qui est donc propriétaire de son adressage issu de son identifiant). Cette proposition étant centrée sur le véhicule, nous avons ensuite intégré ces communications basés dans une architecture globale Future Internet basée sur IPv6 (protocole LISP). En particulier, et avec l'adressage VIN, nous avons défini un espace d'adressage indépendant des fournisseurs d'accès à Internet où le constructeur automobile devient acteur économique fournissant des services IPv6 à sa flotte de véhicules conjointement avec les opérateurs réseau dont il dépend pour transporter son trafic IP. Nous nous sommes ensuite intéressés à l'entourage proche du véhicule afin de définir un nouveau mode de communication inter-véhiculaire à Internet: le V2V2I (Angl. Vehicle-to-Vehicle-to-Infrastructure). Jusqu'à présent, les modes de transmission de données à Internet dans le monde du véhicule consistaient en des topologies V2I, à savoir véhicule à Internet, où le véhicule accède à l'infrastructure directement sans intermédiaire. Dans le cadre des communications véhiculaires à Internet, nous proposons une taxonomie des méthodes existantes dans l'état de l'art. Les techniques du Future Internet étant récentes, nous avons étendu notre taxonomie par une nouvelle approche basée sur la séparation de l'adressage topologique dans le cluster de celui de l'infrastructure. Le leader du cluster s'occupe d'affecter les adresses (de son VIN) et de gérer le routage à l'intérieur de son cluster. La dernière contribution consiste en la comparaison des performances des protocoles de gestion de mobilité, notamment pour les réseaux de véhicules et des communications de type vehicule-à-Internet. Dans ce cadre, nous avons proposé une classification des protocoles de gestion de mobilité selon leur déploiement: centralisé (basé réseau ou host) et distribué. Nous avons ensuite évalué les performances en modélisant les durées de configurations et de reconfigurations des différents protocoles concernés

Design of multi-homing architecture for mobile hosts

This thesis proposes a new multi-homing mobile architecture for future heterogeneous network environment. First, a new multi-homed mobile architecture called Multi Network Switching enabled Mobile IPv6 (MNS-MIP6) is proposed which enables a Mobile Node (MN) having multiple communication paths between itself and its Correspondent Node (CN) to take full advantage of being multi-homed. Multiple communication paths exist because MN, CN, or both are simultaneously attached to multiple access networks. A new sub layer is introduced within IP layer of the host’s protocol stack. A context is established between the MN and the CN. Through this context, additional IP addresses are exchanged between the two. Our MNS-MIP6 architecture allows one communication to smoothly switch from one interface/communication path to another. This switch remains transparent to other layers above IP. Second, to make communication more reliable in multi-homed mobile environments, a new failure detection and recovery mechanism called Mobile Reach ability Protocol (M-REAP) is designed within the proposed MNS-MIP6 architecture. The analysis shows that our new mechanism makes communication more reliable than the existing failure detection and recovery procedures in multi-homed mobile environments. Third, a new network selection mechanism is introduced in the proposed architecture which enables a multi-homed MN to choose the network best suited for particular application traffic. A Policy Engine is defined which takes parameters from iv the available networks, compares them according to application profiles and user preferences, and chooses the best network. The results show that in multi-homed mobile environment, load can be shared among different networks/interfaces through our proposed load sharing mechanism. Fourth, a seamless handover procedure is introduced in the system which enables multi-homed MN to seamlessly roam in a heterogeneous network environment. Layer 2 triggers are defined which assist in handover process. When Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) on a currently used active interface becomes low, a switch is made to a different active interface. We show through mathematical and simulation analysis that our proposed scheme outperforms the existing popular handover management enhancement scheme in MIPv6 networks namely Fast Handover for MIPv6 (FMIPv6). Finally, a mechanism is introduced to allow legacy hosts to communicate with MNS-MIP6 MNs and gain the benefits of reliability, load sharing and seamless handover. The mechanism involves introducing middle boxes in CN’s network. These boxes are called Proxy-MNS boxes. Context is established between the middle boxes and a multi-homed MN.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo