Protocols for Service Discovery in Dynamic and Mobile Networks

Mobile and wireless computing is permeating the globe, affecting the way we live and conduct business using portable computers such as laptops, hand-held PC’s, Palm computers, and even wearable computers. In becoming mobile, users innocently expect and demand the same computing luxury they used to (and still) enjoy in the fixed computing environment. Unfortunately, network resources (e.g. printers, fax machines, and file systems) and application software do not follow the mobile users when they leave their offices or homes, or when they relocate to another temporary office or home. Supporting true mobility of users and business task forces will therefore require changing the way application software is packaged and deployed. It will also require changing the mechanisms by which system resource are configured and managed. The lesson quickly learned by the mobile computing research community is that mobility and dynamism are synonymous. Service discovery protocols (SDP) are re-shaping the way software and network resources are configured, deployed, and advertised, all in favor of the mobile user. Furthermore, so called wireless local connectivity technologies (e.g. Infrared and Bluetooth) are fueling the importance of SDP by enabling the mobile user to discover and use proximity services seamlessly and effortlessly. In this paper we discuss the emerging technology of service discovery in the context of mobile and wireless computing, with emphasis on Jini, UpnP, and Salutation protocols. Key-words: Service discovery, service discovery protocols, lookup services, mobile computing, Jini, UpnP, Salutation, pervasive computing.