DEEP - A Generic Name Resolution Protocol for Heterogeneous Networks

The current trend towards convergence of telecommunication and data networks considering all emerging access technologies is leading to more heterogeneous and dynamic environments. Networking visions are evolving towards ubiquitous computing and it is foreseeable that once users start to establish their own networks formed by their personal devices, the number of both mobile networks and mobile nodes will increase. As the peer-to-peer communication paradigm is becoming more popular, the number of resolvable service endpoints is increasing. The paper focuses on introduction of a multi-stage name resolution mechanism for future heterogeneous and dynamic environments called Destination Endpoint Exploration Protocol. It presents the design principles and the specification of the protocol and depicts how the protocol relates to existing name resolution systems by means of concrete examples.