Networking in Times of Disaster

1. Networking in Times of Disaster

2. What is a Disaster? Networks that work in times of disaster should address: • Events that affect a network (or require a new network) where either: • Capability is reduced • Demand/load increases (e.g., requires deployment of new network) These could be due to: • Natural disasters • Attacks • Physical attack • Cyber attack • Non-malicious • Unintentional mis-configuration • Unexpected traffic surges • Crises (“Everyday disasters”)

3. Problem Statement • Given an existing network, and some event that results in a significant piece being destroyed • What’s an architecture that allows some reconstitution of communication? • Three pieces • Rapid deployment of a network • Designing a network in the first place that’s resilient to failures, disasters, etc. (discussion: can they also be efficient?) • Prioritized communication (is this even possible given the lack of trust among organizations?). • Should this be explicit, or achieved through support for some set of services? • Authoritarian vs. market-based mechanisms • To what extent is the “disaster network” a separate entity? • Permanent vs. ephemeral networks • How do we solve problems of scarcity? or is there glut? or both?

4. Lightning Talks • Transient Network Architecture (TNA): Federation, Self Organization, Identification and addressing. Prototype with City of ABQ. • PoMo and ResiliNets: Resilience and heterogeneity • CABO / AIP: Identity, Sharing of physical resources • Radio Wormholes: Traffic engineering in wireless mesh networks • Interoperability: Spectrum gateway • Instant infrastructure: Interoperability, rapid deployment • Towards an Analytic Foundation for Network Architectures: architectures for multi-hop wireless, sharing • Configuration assurance: Auto configuration

5. Target Requirements • Federation • Interoperability: heterogeneity, ability to seamlessly interconnect networks of different types • Can function when there are conflicting claims of authority. Minimize conflicts by devising technologies that can function w/o login • What happens when multiple entities are in charge with/without overlaps of jurisdiction? • Support for heterogeneous communications protocols, media, etc. • Ability to support sharing of physical infrastructure • Isolation: impact of failure should be contained • Support for types of communication (voice, video, data, etc.) • Appropriate quality of service with graceful degradation • Prioritization of messages • Security/authenticity of information, Identity

6. Target Requirements • Rapid deployment • Efficient use of remaining available resources (vs. resilience?) • Fast resource discovery: what’s there and how do I use it • Zero configuration/Self-organization • Self-forming and self-healing • Self-aware/situationally aware • Ability to support “emergent” infrastructure • Continuity • Availability/reliability of communication and services (to what extent?) • Intermittent/no/unconventional connectivity (DTN) • Management of glut • Too much information: attention management, announcement protocols, data analysis/reduction • Interference (at various layers : physical, namespace issues, etc.) • Power • Interdependence: power grid requires networks and vice versa • Power awareness (can also help improve resilience)

7. Grand Challenges • Communications interoperability training • Operation golden phoenix • From people skills to networks • Various disaster scenarios • Bio attack • Major fires • Anyone can participate. Geared for early responders • Burning Man • Tactical deployment • Network managers should not be preceding marines up the beach…