Communication Networks for Critical Infrastructures - topics under research at INESC Porto

1. Communication Networks for Critical Infrastructures - topics under research at INESC Porto Manuel Ricardo DEEC, Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do Porto mricardo@fe.up.pt Telecommunications and Multimedia Unit

2. Outline Telecommunications and Multimedia Unit • What is it? “Sistemas ciber-físicos para inteligência ambiente: redes de sensores em infra-estruturas criticas“ • Related research topics @ INESC Porto

3. Critical infrastructure Telecommunications and Multimedia Unit • Critical infrastructure – term used by governments to describe assets essential for functioning of society /economy • Infrastructures commonly associated with the term • electricity, gas, oil • telecommunications • water • agriculture, food • public health • transportation • financial services • security services

4. Ambient Intelligence Telecommunications and Multimedia Unit • Embedding intelligence in everyday objects • Object gains the ability to • Gather information from its environment possibly react by adapting its function • Process information • Exchange information with neighbour objects or Internet

5. The Intelligent Object Telecommunications and Multimedia Unit • Computers are becoming small • Common object becoming also a computer

6. Ambient Intelligence in Critical Infrastructures Telecommunications and Multimedia Unit • Objects of critical infrastructures will become computers • New objects (criticality related) will be added to infrastructure • As a result, critical infrastructures expected to become efficient , reliable, secure

7. The Challenges of Interconnecting Objects Telecommunications and Multimedia Unit • Thousands of computing-objects to be interconnected through wireless, auto-configurable, high-bitrate, secure networks • Research-topics@INESCPorto • Scalable auto-configurable networks • Intermittent connectivity / mobility • Enabling high bitrates • Network congestion control • Information aware networks • Moving PAN • Secure Networks

8. Scalable and Auto-Configurable Networks • Plug & play network • Ethernet like network • Big network = big LAN • Some network services • DHCP, ARP, IPv6 link local • Routing protocols • Generate broacast traffic  Network becomes congested • Research@INESCPorto • Re-design network services to avoid broadcast traffic Using prune + data suppression/compression techniques • Design large virtual Ethernet networks over existing technologies Node ARP REQUEST Shortest Path Link Eliminated by STP Node Telecommunications and Multimedia Unit

9. Intermittent Connectivity and Mobility in Large Networks Telecommunications and Multimedia Unit • Global frequent routing update leads to excessive overhead • Ad-hoc routing protocols inadequate for large networks • Research@INESCPorto • New routing techniques for wireless and mobile networks • New/lost links reported only to relevant nodes

10. Enabling High Bitrates - Directional Antenna Telecommunications and Multimedia Unit • Bitrate of a wireless link depends on Bandwidth, Rx power, SINR • Directional antenna enables • More received power /longer links • Less interference • More links • Research@INESCPorto • What criteria use to form beams? • How to combine • on demand-links and routing techniques? • beams with multichannel?

11. Enabling High Bitrates – Avoiding Hidden Nodes Telecommunications and Multimedia Unit • Wireless networks rely on CSMA/CA shared access mechanisms • CSMA/CA performance depends on • Number of nodes • Number of hidden nodes • Research@INESCPorto Network topology control • reduce number of hidden nodes for less collisions • dynamic selection of radio channels

12. Network Congestion Control Telecommunications and Multimedia Unit • Current congestion control mechanisms • inadequate for variable bitrate media shared media / variable bitrate links • unfair for real-time /short traffic flows • Research@INESCPorto • Use of explicit control techniques network nodes control the sources rate • Feedback signal considers nodes congestion and energy • Management of traffic priorities

13. Information Aware Networks Telecommunications and Multimedia Unit • Application and physical networks are different e.g. P2P application over ad-hoc networks • Research@INESCPorto • Define network paths based on • link quality, node energy • type of information • Network topology constrained by application

14. Moving Personal Area Networks Telecommunications and Multimedia Unit • Multi-technology PAN Intra/extra PAN connectivity • Research@INESC Porto • PoA selected based on user-defined policies • Centralized single tree routing • Adaptive IP autoconfiguration

15. Secure Networks CA 1 CA 2.1 CA 2.2 N 2.1.2 Network 2.2 N 2.1.1 Cert 2.2  N2.2.1 ({id2.2.1, pk2.2.1, ta, tb}pkCA2.2) Network 2.1 N 2.1.3 N 2.2.1 Auth2.2.1({id2.2.1, pk2.2.1, ta, tb}pkCA2.2) Receiver Telecommunications and Multimedia Unit • Networks need to be secure Security between any pair of nodes • Research@INESCPorto • Hierarchical distributed PKI • Ephemeral certificates • Used to authenticate a node • Short public keys  low processing power • No revocation lists  support of intermittent connectivity • Secure group communications • Authentication by certificates • Short symmetric keys • Key distribution using multicast techniques