On cloud-centric network architecture for multi-dimensional mobility

Abstract

Despite pervasive deployment of wireless networks, maintaining seamless mobile connectivity within a set of local devices and to the remote cloud is still challenging. The crux of this challenge stems from the simultaneous interplay of multiple dimensions of a user's mobility - users frequently move between multiple access networks, mobile devices and unique personas. We identify new trends and challenges in providing rich mobile connectivity to mobile users. We then propose a novel Cloud-centric Architecture for Rich Mobile Experience Networking, called Carmen. Carmen is a distributed system that manages the mobile connectivity of a set of devices belonging to a particular individual, which we call the mobile personal grid (MPG). Carmen enables the MPG to efficiently collect context from a mobile user and coordinate key system resources across the MPG and cloud. We present new design principles and functional components of Carmen. In addition, we show our system prototype of Carmen's resource monitoring infrastructure to demonstrate its feasibility and benefits in improving the mobile user's networking experience. © 2012 ACM.