A Reference Model for Future Computer Networks

Future Internet design demands revolutionary approaches unfettered by legacy constraints and concepts. This paper presents a clean-slate Concern-Oriented Reference Model (CORM) for architecting future computer networks based on novel network design principles. CORM realizes the network as a software-dependent complex system. It defines the network design space in terms of function, structure and behavior, and perceives each of these design space elements within the context of network concerns, identified as Application, Communication, Resource and Federation. CORM adopts a bottom-up approach in network construction, focusing on the network building block, whose structure and behavior are inspired by evolutionary bacterium cell. Hence, CORM refutes the long endorsed concept of layering, and intrinsically accounts for emergent behavior, while ensuring network congruency. CORM's basic abstraction unit is validated using the Function-Behavior-Structure engineering framework. The paper concludes by presenting and evaluating an architecture derived from CORM. KeywordsComplex systems; Computer Network design; Computer Network Reference Model.