Mobility and Address Freedom in AllNet

Abstract

Mobile devices can be addressed through a variety of means. We propose that each device select its own addresses, we motivate this choice, and we describe mechanisms for deliv- ering data using these addresses. Hierarchical point-of-attachment addresses are not effec- tive with mobile devices. The network has to maintain a global mapping between addresses and locations whether or not the address is topological. Since this mapping is needed anyway, there is not much point in having the structure of the address encode device location. Instead, we have designed a network protocol, AllNet, to support self-selected address- ing. When data is transmitted over the Internet, a Distributed Hash Table (DHT) provides a connection between senders and and receivers. The advantages of self-selected addresses include the abil- ity of devices to join and form a network without any need for prior agreement, and the ability to choose a personal, memorable address. When multiple devices choose the same address another mechanism, such as signed and encrypted messages, provides the necessary disambiguation.