About the talk:
 

Mobile ad-hoc networks (MANETs) offer a particularly thorny challenge for network architects and protocol designers. To first order, radio phenomena are a poor fit for traditional link-and-node network abstractions not only because of broadcast but also because of the potential for constructive and destructive interactions between nodes at a distance. Moreover, MANET protocol designers must address a regime that starkly contrasts with experience in the wired Internet insofar as spectrum is scarce, the medium is relatively prone to error and erasure, and end-to-end latency tends to be relatively high. And finally, network management must be intrinsic to the protocol suite rather than a bolt-on afterthought, because MANETs are envisioned for use in dynamic settings that do not admit of manual operating processes. It should be no surprise that protocols and architectures designed for static, reliable, high-bandwidth settings are poorly suited for use in MANETs; the question is what alternatives should be pursued and in what way. Are there practical systematic strategies for clean-slate network design? This talk will frame MANETs as a challenge in clean-slate design, and will describe how some recent experimental projects have made demonstrable progress and gained experience in first-principles network design by applying concepts and strategies such as network coding and optimization decomposition.

 

About the speaker:
 

Chris Ramming recently concluded a term as program manager in DARPA's Strategic Technology Office. In this role, his primary charter was to vastly improve wireless network performance, self-management, and intrinsic security. Mr. Ramming also invested in projects to advance decision analytics and information design. Prior to joining DARPA, the bulk of Mr. Ramming's career was with AT&T/Bell Labs Research. He has a broad background in telecommunications technology and particularly enjoys working at the intersection of theory and practice to transform high-risk/high-payoff research ideas into working systems. Mr. Ramming holds degrees in computer science from Yale and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.