Towards adaptable networking: Defining the protocol optimization architecture requirements

With the recent trend in computer networking that tends to make the networks more dynamic, appeared the need for network protocols to accommodate against changing conditions. In this context, it is important to rely on a clean architecture to share information between protocol entities and to perform optimizations, in order to achieve what we define as adaptable networking. In this paper, we try to identify the needs for a network protocol optimization architecture and describe the care that should be taken when considering such architecture. We perform a study based on observation of the implications of information sharing between network protocol entities and define some requirements for a successful adaptable network architecture. Then we show how these recommendations could be applied in the legacy layered model by presenting an example architecture that respects the identified principles. This work is expected to serve as a basis for any future adaptable network architecture.