Implementation of NDN function chaining using caching for IoT environments

Abstract

In this paper, we discuss how to implement a mechanism that combines function chaining and cache in Named Data Networking (NDN), an incarnation of information centric networking technology, for real-world IoT environments. We explain our new architecture, called NDN-FC+, for combining function chaining with cache over NDN, and how to extend existing NDN software to support function chaining and caching. The key features discussed in this paper are Interest and Data packet structure, forwarding methods, and naming schemes for a cached content. In particular, it is important to implement the cache, which is one of the major features of NDN. By using the cache, the network will be able to keep contents closer to the users and send them with low latency. Also, by combining function chaining and caching, and caching the content that has been processed by several functions in advance, it will be possible to communicate the processed content without processing. The feasibility of our proposed protocol for caching and forwarding methods is displayed through a prototype implementation. The performance evaluation was performed in a topology that executes the functions chained to the image data from the sensor, assuming use in the real world IoT environment.