Adding Support for Delay Tolerance to IPv6 Networks

Abstract As we continue to connect ever lower power and more power constrained devices to the Internet of Things the problem of main- taining constant end to end connectivity becomes harder. Accepting that continuous end to end connectivity cannot be maintained, we are forced to seek solutions to allow good operating function. Delay Tolerant Networking, an evolution of existing store and forward systems is a candidate for resolving this issue, however, current implementations are not ideal for use in constrained Inter- net of Things environments. We propose a solution to this by integrating the capabilities of Delay Tolerant Networking into the IP layer, in such a way as to maintain compatibility with existing and future systems and minimising additional overhead. This has been achieved by developing a new IPv6 Hop by Hop option header which contains the information required for messages to be delayed. This solution is then demonstrated to be implementable within the limitations of current Internet of Things hardware.