Self-healing and Mesh Networks
- (Harvard University - Joyce Yang)
- Overview
A "self-healing network" is a network that can automatically detect and fix issues within itself, rerouting traffic or adjusting connections if a node fails, while a "mesh network" is a network structure where multiple devices act as nodes, communicating with each other directly and allowing data to be routed through various paths, essentially creating a self-healing capability where if one node fails, the network can reroute data through other nodes; meaning a mesh network often incorporates self-healing features by design.
Key characteristics about self-healing networks:
- Automatic repair: They can identify problems like connection drops, overloaded nodes, or faulty devices and automatically adjust the network to maintain connectivity.
- AI integration: Often utilize artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to analyze network data and predict potential issues, allowing for proactive mitigation.
- Minimized downtime: By automatically rerouting traffic, self-healing networks aim to minimize disruptions and downtime in case of failures.
Key characteristics about mesh networks:
- Multiple nodes: Unlike traditional networks with a single central point, a mesh network consists of multiple nodes that can communicate directly with each other.
- Redundancy: Because data can be routed through multiple paths, if one connection is lost, data can still reach its destination through other nodes.
- Scalability: Mesh networks can be easily expanded by adding more nodes to cover a larger area or increase network capacity.
How they relate:
- Mesh networks often enable self-healing capabilities: Since mesh networks have multiple redundant paths, if one node fails, the network can automatically reroute data through other nodes, effectively "healing" itself.
- Self-healing functionality can be enhanced in a mesh network: By utilizing advanced algorithms and monitoring capabilities, a mesh network can become even more efficient at detecting and resolving issues.
The mesh network is further characterized as a self-healing, multi-hop network. If a wireless communication path experiences interference or drops out, the network automatically reroutes the message through an alternate path to form a new wireless communication path.
- Self-healing Networks
A self-healing network is a network that can automatically detect and fix issues without human intervention. They are designed to protect against failures by: Predicting problems, Providing workarounds, Supporting recovery, and Preventing future incidents.
Self-healing networks use a variety of techniques, including:
- Network redundancy: When a failure is detected, network redundancy features are activated.
- Artificial intelligence and machine learning: These algorithms identify, diagnose, and resolve network anomalies.
- Monitoring: Self-healing networks monitor network performance for unusual activity.
- Rerouting traffic: When issues are spotted, traffic is rerouted to avoid problem areas.
Self-healing networks can improve the stability and efficiency of IT infrastructures, and reduce the amount of effort required for network management.
- Mesh Networks
A mesh network (or simply meshnet) is a local network topology in which the infrastructure nodes (i.e. bridges, switches, and other infrastructure devices) connect directly, dynamically and non-hierarchically to as many other nodes as possible and cooperate with one another to efficiently route data from/to clients. This lack of dependency on one node allows for every node to participate in the relay of information.
Mesh networks dynamically self-organize and self-configure, which can reduce installation overhead. The ability to self-configure enables dynamic distribution of workloads, particularly in the event a few nodes should fail. This in turn contributes to fault-tolerance and reduced maintenance costs.
Mesh networks can relay messages using either a flooding technique or a routing technique. With routing, the message is propagated along a path by hopping from node to node until it reaches its destination. To ensure that all its paths are available, the network must allow for continuous connections and must reconfigure itself around broken paths, using self-healing algorithms such as Shortest Path Bridging.
Self-healing allows a routing-based network to operate when a node breaks down or when a connection becomes unreliable. As a result, the network is typically quite reliable, as there is often more than one path between a source and a destination in the network. Although mostly used in wireless situations, this concept can also apply to wired networks and to software interaction.
A mesh network whose nodes are all connected to each other is a fully connected network. Fully connected wired networks have the advantages of security and reliability: problems in a cable affect only the two nodes attached to it. However, in such networks, the number of cables, and therefore the cost, goes up rapidly as the number of nodes increases.
[More to come ...]
