SymbioticSphere: a Network Architecture for Autonomic and Emergent Networking

Network systems are expected to be more scalable and more adaptive to dynamic network environments. Based on the observation that various biological systems have already overcome these requirements, the proposed network architecture, called SymbioticSphere, applies biological concepts and mechanisms to design network systems (i.e. application services and middleware platforms). In SymbioticSphere, each application service and middleware platform is designed as artificial biological entity, analogous to an individual bee in a bee colony. Application services and middleware platforms implement biological concepts and mechanisms such as decentralization, energy level, health level, energy exchange, environment sensing, migration, replication and death. Like in biological systems, desirable system characteristics such as scalability and adaptability emerge from collective actions and interactions of application services and platforms.