Networks for Pervasive Services: Six Ways to Upgrade the Internet

Description

Since its inception in the 1970s the Internet has become larger, faster and wireless. It is the biggest machine ever built, the generative engine of our digital society. However, the software that runs the global network has not seen any substantial upgrade since the early 1990s. It is now evident that the existing mechanisms that transport data around the Internet are no longer adequate for the new breed of Web applications. This book explains why the time is ripe for a complete overhaul in view of the Future Internet. Through a series of simple examples, the authors present a wealth of network mechanisms, starting from those that sustain the Web today. Readers will become familiar with a range of advanced protocols that will make the Internet more ubiquitous, reactive, proactive, information-driven, distribution-efficient and searchable. This book presents a selection of remarkable research ideas, making them accessible to the non-specialist reader.