Mobility management in IP networks

I worked on a mobility management solution called UPMT (Universal Per-application Mobility management using Tunnels). I have started from an existing early prototype of the solution and I have performed several improvements on the platform, like porting over Android and over recent Linux kernels. I have designed and implemented several extensions (new functionalities and components) needed to apply the UPMT solution in the context of new scenarios like a Networked Robot System and in specific emulation environments (CORE emulator). In any mobility scenario, regardless the solution adopted, there is the need to measure in an efficient and accurate way the network performance. Such measurements should be taken at IP level since the radio signal does not provide a good estimation about the quality of the service. Hence, I have focused on the design and implementation of connectivity check and network performance monitoring procedures operating at the IP level. I have considered the impact of these procedures in terms of processing cost and I have analyzed their accuracy and timeliness in the estimation. The applicability of these proposed solutions and results is not limited to UMPT, but it is relevant to all mobility management solutions that combine heterogeneous networks using IP (e.g. Mobile IP, HIP – Host Identity Protocol, DMM – Distributed Mobility Management). In facts, all these solutions share the need of performing connectivity checks and network performance monitoring.