Self-healing systems and virtual structures

TL;DR

This paper explores self-healing mechanisms for dynamic, complex networks, proposing models where systems recover from attacks by adding edges, and discusses the potential of virtual graph techniques for network resilience.

Contribution

It introduces a self-healing model for reconfigurable systems with an adversarial node removal and addition, and advocates for virtual graph techniques to enhance network robustness.

Findings

Self-healing algorithms can maintain network invariants after attacks.

Virtual graphs are a promising technique for network self-management.

The model is applicable to various dynamic network scenarios.

Abstract

Modern networks are large, highly complex and dynamic. Add to that the mobility of the agents comprising many of these networks. It is difficult or even impossible for such systems to be managed centrally in an efficient manner. It is imperative for such systems to attain a degree of self-management. Self-healing i.e. the capability of a system in a good state to recover to another good state in face of an attack, is desirable for such systems. In this paper, we discuss the self-healing model for dynamic reconfigurable systems. In this model, an omniscient adversary inserts or deletes nodes from a network and the algorithm responds by adding a limited number of edges in order to maintain invariants of the network. We look at some of the results in this model and argue for their applicability and further extensions of the results and the model. We also look at some of the techniques we have used in our earlier work, in particular, we look at the idea of maintaining virtual graphs mapped over the existing network and assert that this may be a useful technique to use in many problem domains.