Disruption Tolerant Networks (DTNs) rely on intermittent contacts between mobile nodes to deliver packets using a store-carry-and-forward paradigm. DTNs provide a robust method to deliver packets in challenged environments such as natural disasters, underwater, sensor networks, and low-power deployments. To study DTNs, we have recently constructed a large-scale mobile network, called UMass DieselNet, that runs on 40 busses covering a 120 square mile area. While a number of projects have emerged from this testbed, I will focus on capacity building. I will present the use of throwbox nodes, which are stationary, battery powered nodes with storage and processing, to enhance capacity. The throwbox uses a hardware platform that is multi-tiered, multi-radio, scalable, and solar powered to maximize its utility in untethered deployments. Through trace-driven simulations and prototype deployment results show that a single throwbox with a small-sized solar panel can run perpetually while improving packet delivery by 37% and reducing message delivery latency by at least 10% in the network.

Host: Lin Zhong

Biography of Mark Corner:
Mark Corner has been an Assistant Professor in the Computer Science Department at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst since 2003 after graduating with his PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan. His primary interests lie in the areas of mobile and pervasive computing, networking, file systems and security. He was the recipient of an NSF CAREER award in 2005, a Best Paper Award at ACM Multimedia 2005, as well as the Best Student Paper Award at Mobicom 2002. Prof. Corner's work is supported by the NSF, DARPA, and the NSA.