Supporting diverse traffic types in information centric networks

Abstract

In this paper we focus on the issue of transferring diverse kinds of information through information-centric networks (ICNs). We argue that the one request per packet mode of operation suggested in the early development of ICN applications is not a good fit for some types of traffic, such as media streams and real-time notifications. To efficiently deliver all kinds of information, we argue that an ICN should not only identify information by its name, it should also be aware of the nature of its traffic. We classify information traffic types based on two characteristics: a) reliable vs. unreliable transfer and b) real-time vs. on-demand delivery. The combination of these two characteristics leads to three broad categories: a) channels, b) on-demand documents and c) real-time documents. To handle all traffic types, we propose two extensions to the CCN architecture: Persistent Interests and Reliable Notifications. We describe how these additions, together with a careful selection of information names, can efficiently support these three categories of information traffic types.