Papers by Mohannad Alharthi
2019 IEEE Global Communications Conference (GLOBECOM), 2019
Controller placement is one of the most important aspects in Software Defined Networking (SDN) as... more Controller placement is one of the most important aspects in Software Defined Networking (SDN) as it is critical in determining the performance of the network. While SDN is mainly applied in wired networks, we attempt to utilize it in a futuristic drone-based network architecture to capitalize on the programmability and flexibility offered by SDN. Such drone network comprises a multi-hop network of drones as the nodes of the network which also act as programmable network nodes and forwarding elements. In such a dynamic and mobile network, maintaining SDN controller connectivity becomes a challenge, especially when the drone network requires operating independently from a ground infrastructure for some deployment scenarios. In this work, we attempt to address this challenge by implementing a dynamic scheme for controller placement that deploys a minimum number of drones that operate as SDN controllers and adjust their locations dynamically as the controlled nodes adjust their locations to meet changing mission requirements.
ICC 2019 - 2019 IEEE International Conference on Communications (ICC), 2019
GLOBECOM 2020 - 2020 IEEE Global Communications Conference, 2020
The emerging use of drones to support communication infrastructure and to deploy temporary networ... more The emerging use of drones to support communication infrastructure and to deploy temporary networks in emergency scenarios is under active research. In this paper, we consider virtualizing drones’ computing resources when deploying drone networks by utilizing Virtual Network Functions (VNFs) to process and deliver mission-related data traffic. This is aimed at cases where off loading and processing traffic to the cloud is not an option due to the unavailability of terrestrial and satellite communications. After discussing possible applications, we propose and evaluate a scheme for the deployment and placement of a drone network as well as the VNFs needed to deliver a set of traffics flowing from different locations in the task area.
Cyber-physical systems (CPSs) represent a new generation of engineered systems that tightly integ... more Cyber-physical systems (CPSs) represent a new generation of engineered systems that tightly integrates computations, communications (cyber) and physics. Simulation plays a considerable role in validating CPSs as it substantially reduces the costs and risks in the design-testing cycles. Reliable simulations, however, mandate realistic modeling for both the cyber and the physical aspects. This is especially the case in various networked mobile CPSs (e.g., excavation robots and vehicular networks), where cost and risk may become substantial. Current CPS modeling tools lack complete models of communication. Co-simulation attempts to overcome this limitation by integrating multiple modeling and simulation tools to offer complete models of all aspects of CPSs. In this thesis, we design and implement a co-simulation environment for modeling and simulating networked CPSs. The environment is called AcumenNS3 and it integrates Acumen, a language for modeling hybrid physical systems, with NS-3...
Proceedings of the 4th ACM SIGBED International Workshop on Design, Modeling, and Evaluation of Cyber-Physical Systems - CyPhy '14, 2014
Simulation plays a considerable role in validating Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs) as it substantia... more Simulation plays a considerable role in validating Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs) as it substantially reduces the costs and risks in the design-testing cycles. Reliable simulations, however, mandate realistic modeling for both the cyber and the physical aspects. This is especially the case in various networked mobile CPSs (e.g., excavation robots and vehicular networks), where costs and risks may become substantial. Our interest in this work is to briefly survey how mobility is modeled in state-of-the-art network simulators. The survey considers representative models commonly used in the literature, their enhancements, and their persisting limitations. It also reports on some recent attempts to integrate network simulators with physical modeling environments.
2014 27th Biennial Symposium on Communications (QBSC), 2014
Capturing physical phenomena such as node mobility or wave propagation is challenging in current ... more Capturing physical phenomena such as node mobility or wave propagation is challenging in current network simulators, and is mostly achieved through crude abstractions. Despite being operationally efficient, such abstractions adversely affect simulation credibility. To realize more accurate modeling, we are currently developing a simulation environment integrating a hybrid modeling language into a mainstream network simulator. This paper gives a preliminary overview of our efforts. For illustration, an example simulation scenario with some basic mobility is described.
2021 IEEE Global Communications Conference (GLOBECOM), 2021
Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) or drones are becoming increasingly dependable tools for many civi... more Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) or drones are becoming increasingly dependable tools for many civil and industrial applications. Due to the increasing usage and capabilities of drones coupled with advances in innovative technologies and algorithms for managing and conducting tasks, drones are expected to crowd low-altitude airspace in urban areas. This brings many opportunities for service providers to provide drone-related services. Hence, efficient use of drones is required. In this paper, we investigate the benefits of reconfigurable softwarized drones operated by an entity or a service provider to perform tasks for its operations or for interested customers. We model a system of reconfigurable drones that can conduct multiple tasks per flight using Virtual Network Functions (VNFs) running on on-board capable computing systems. We compare our proposed model with alternatives with limited and no softwarization capabilities. Our evaluation demonstrates the performance gains due to r...
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Papers by Mohannad Alharthi