Maintaining consistency in layered architectures of mobile Ad-Hoc networks

Abstract

In this paper we present a layered architecture for modeling workflows in Mobile Ad-Hoc NETworks (MANETs) using algebraic higher order nets (AHO nets). MANETs are networks of mobile devices that communicate with each other via wireless links without relying on an underlying infrastructure, e.g. in emergency scenarios, where an effective coordination is crucial among team members, each of them equipped with hand-held devices. Workflows in MANETs can be adequately modeled using a layered architecture, where the overall workflow, the team members' activities and the mobility issues are separated into three different layers, namely the workflow layer, the mobility layer and the team layer. Dividing the AHO net model into layers immediately rises the question of consistency. We suggest a formal notion of layer consistency requiring that the team layer is given by the mapping of the individual member's activities to the gluing of the workflow and the mobility layer. The main results concern the maintenance of the layer consistency when changing the workflow layer, the mobility layer and the team layer independently. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2007.