Barun Saha

Hitachi Energy · Grid Automation R&D

Opportunistic Mobile Networks (OMNs) are characterized by intermittent connectivity among nodes. In many scenarios, the nodes attempt at local decision making based on greedy approaches, which can result in getting trapped at local optimum. Moreover, for efficient routing, the nodes often collect and exchange lot of information about others. To all...

Intent-based Networks (IBNs) present a paradigm shift in conventional networking by allowing users to express what is required from a network, while internally resolving the detailed steps necessary to achieve that goal. Consequently, not only human effort, but chances of errors are also reduced. Moreover, once an intended state is achieved, IBN en...

The recent advances in Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) and Large Language Models (LLMs) have generated significant interest across the world. For a successful adoption of GenAI and LLMs by industry, it is critical to identify their potential benefits, impact, and challenges. Accordingly, in this work, we investigate a few use cases of LL...

Artificial Intelligence is finding increased applications in communication networks. In particular, the field of text-to-Structured Query Language (SQL) translation has great potential to improve customer experience by allowing the querying of network performance databases using natural language. Such adoption, however, is challenging, in general....

Industry 4.0 has witnessed a widespread use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), which, however, often focuses on the operational aspects. In contrast, the life-cycle of any industrial project begins much earlier. Motivated by this, we present an intent-based approach toward bid engineering. In particular, we consider the use of AI to automatically ext...

Intent-based Networks (IBNs) allow specifying network operations using natural languages, which can significantly reduce network management cost and effort, as well as improve efficiency. In this work, we discuss the design of a typical IBN. In particular, we define several intent classes corresponding to different network operations. Subsequently,...

Relay-based Communications in WBANs: A Comprehensive Survey AVANI VYAS and SUJATA PAL, Indian Institute of Technology Ropar, India BARUN KUMAR SAHA, Hitachi ABB Power Grids, India ACM Comput. Surv., Vol. 54, No. 1, Article 2, Publication date: December 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3423164 Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs) constitute an em...

In this paper, we address the problem of optimal flow allocation in the context of industrial networks. The problem is known to be computationally hard, which makes it difficult to solve for large networks. Moreover, industrial networks, such as power grids, often have unique characteristics, for example, integral flows and delay-symmetric path req...

Intent-based Networks (IBNs) are expected to add various degrees of autonomy and intelligence at different stages of a network, such as planning and operating. A particular use case of IBNs relevant to industry is that of end-to-end flow (service) allocation prior to commissioning such networks, for example, in power grids. In this context, we inve...

We address the problem of fake content dissemination in Opportunistic Mobile Networks (OMNs), where nodes have intermittent connectivity and typically lack in end-to-end communication paths. We consider a group of nodes, Fake Content Providers (FCPs), who, on receiving content requests, respond with fake contents, rather than the real version. In p...

Opportunistic Mobile Networks (OMNs) enable communication among the otherwise disconnected devices via intermittent contacts. Based on this, the paradigms of Opportunistic Computing (OC) and Opportunistic Service Provisioning (OSP) were proposed, where a user can request remotely available software and hardware services from the relevant nodes that...

The evolution of 5G networks with the promise of device-to-device (D2D) communication gives rise to several new possibilities and applications. In this work, we consider one such application -- D2D local content dissemination among mobile users, where the concerned contents have relevance only within a geographic span centered at their respective l...

In cooperative communication, a set of players forming a coalition ensures communal behavior among themselves by helping one another in message forwarding. Opportunistic mobile networks (OMNs) require multihop communications for transferring messages from the source to the destination nodes. However, noncooperative nodes only forward their own mess...

In this letter, we study the adaptation of name data networking-based named content searching in opportunisti mobile networks (OMNs). Given the inherent uncertainty i OMNs, our goal is to replicate the content requests to a suitabl set of nodes that can help improve users' experience in term of requests satisfaction and latency. To this end, we pro...

In this chapter, we look at how to work with the Opportunistic Network Environment (ONE) simulator using the NetBeans integrated development environment (IDE). Use of such an IDE often makes workflow easier. Next, we discuss in detail a key topic—creating a new routing protocol using the ONE simulator. We illustrate this process with a simple examp...

Heterogeneity in real-life networks is perhaps inevitable. In this chapter, we look at different aspects of heterogeneity in conventional networks such as, MANETs, as well as, in OMNs. We begin by looking at the fundamental causes of heterogeneity in communication networks, which includes diversity in software, hardware, and architecture. We look a...

One of the fundamental aspects that characterizes human beings is emotion, which has bidirectional interaction with its surrounding environment. Research on emotions have crossed the domain of psychology and has witnessed increasing cross-disciplinary approaches, where the fields of artificial intelligence (AI), physiology, software engineering, be...

This book presented a short tour of OMNs. It looked back at its origins in DTNs, its characteristics, advances made over the last two decades, and various applications. In this book, we looked at the aspects of routing in OMNs, issues of cooperation and heterogeneity, and a different dimension—aspects of human users in the network. In this final ch...

Having explored different dimensions of OMNs, in this chapter, we pause for a moment, and look at the reality. Where do DTNs/OMNs stand today? How well it has been adopted? What are its promises? We begin by taking a look at some comprehensive statistics on research efforts in this domain. Subsequently, we discuss about Request for Comments (RFCs)...

Apart from DTNs and OMNs, in the recent past, the field of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) has also made interesting progress giving rise to different paradigms, such as human-centric sensing. Whether we talk about OMNs or participatory sensing, some aspects are common to them—human users, their mobility, and actions. Today, smartphones come equipp...

The “traditional” model of networks that we are familiar with fails to work when certain fundamental assumptions, such as availability of end-to-end communications paths and short round-trip times, do not hold true. Delay-tolerant networks (DTNs) were proposed to enable communication in such scenarios by leveraging the store-carry-and-forward mecha...

Game theory has been widely used in wireless networks for solving problems of conflict and cooperation among rational agents. A particularly interesting branch of game theory is evolutionary game theory (EGT), where population evolves over time. In EGT, the players circumspectly adapt the most successful strategies over time. This adaptation is don...

The fundamental goal of any communication network is to have the messages delivered to their corresponding destinations. In conventional networks, such as MANETs, determining a routing path with optimum cost is rather easy. However, such approaches become difficult in DTNs/OMNs due to their unique characteristics, as noted in the previous chapter....

Nodes in OMNs usually suffer from lack of end-to-end communication paths, which makes them to depend upon other intermediate nodes for forwarding their messages. Therefore, the intermediate nodes play the crucial role of cooperation in OMNs. In this chapter, we take a close look at different types of cooperation enforcement schemes proposed for OMN...

This textbook reviews the theory, applications, and latest breakthroughs in Delay Tolerant Networks (DTNs). Presenting a specific focus on Opportunistic Mobile Networks (OMNs), the text considers the influence of human aspects, and examines emerging forms of inter-node cooperation. Features: contains review terms and exercises in each chapter, with...

Cooperation among nodes is a fundamental necessity in opportunistic mobile networks (OMNs), where the messages are transferred using the store-carry-and-forward mechanism, due to sporadic inter-node wireless connectivity. While multiple works have addressed this issue, they are often constrained in their assumptions on solutions (e.g., requirement...

Opportunistic Mobile Networks (OMNs), which are formed by mobile devices carried by human users, present an interesting communication paradigm in the absence of access to global network connectivity or any form of network infrastructure. In this work, we combine the natural mobility of the human users - which has been shown to resemble Levy Walk -...

In Mission-Oriented Opportunistic Networks (MOONs), the human users, who possess the mobile devices, also participate as part of the network. In this study, the authors study an aspect of human-network interplay in MOONs, by considering the effects of human emotions on the network operations. This study differs from the related existing works, whic...

Pocket switched networks (PSNs), which are formed by mobile devices carried by their users, present an interesting communication paradigm especially in the absence of access to global network connectivity. This work explores the effect of nodes' heterogeneity on the performance of PSNs that use opportunistic communication mechanisms. The focus is o...

The use of network simulators has not remained confined to the research community, but are increasingly being used for education purpose as well. Among the different network simulators available, Network Simulator version 2 (NS-2) is widely popular. However, installing NS-2, executing the simulations, and subsequently analyzing the generated trace...

Opportunistic Mobile Networks (OMNs) are characterized by intermittent connectivity among the nodes, which results in lack of end-to-end communication paths. The nodes depend upon the other nodes for forwarding their messages and, therefore, the intermediate nodes play the crucial role of cooperation in forwarding the messages of the others nodes....

The delay tolerant networking architecture was proposed for the networks where the typical assumptions made for the Internet fails. One of the primary characteristics of such networks is the intermittent connectivity among the nodes, resulting in the lack of end-to-end communication paths. Unlike the Internet, mobile ad-hoc networks (MANETs) and ot...

Research analysis manifest clear trends of growing interest of the field of Human Computer Interaction (HCI) towards virtualized learning. To keep up this trend, as well as the pace with the rapid advancement of software technologies, the Advanced Network Technologies Virtual Lab (ANT VLab) has been developed by us at Indian Institute of Technology...

Mission-oriented networks change the network communications paradigm with the involvement of human beings in the network. In a mission-oriented network, nodes may exhibit purposeful mobility in order to achieve mission goals. Additionally, human beings, unlike simple sensor nodes, have innate intelligence and context awareness, which help them in m...