Content-Centric Networking Using Anonymous Datagrams

TL;DR

This paper introduces CCN-GRAM, a content-centric networking approach that replaces PITs with anonymous datagrams, reducing forwarding state and enhancing security against Interest-flooding attacks.

Contribution

The paper presents CCN-GRAM, a novel content-centric networking architecture that eliminates PITs using anonymous datagrams and supports in-network caching and multicast.

Findings

Significantly fewer forwarding entries compared to PIT-based architectures

Immunity to Interest-flooding attacks

Supports in-network caching and native multicasting

Abstract

Using Interests (requests that elicit content) and maintaining per-Interest forwarding state in Pending Interest Tables (PIT) are integral to the design of the Named Data Networking (NDN) and Content-Centric Networking (CCNx) architectures. However, using PITs makes the network vulnerable to Interest-flooding attacks, and PITs can become very large. It is shown that in-network caching eliminates the need for Interest aggregation and obviates the use of PITs. A new approach to content-centric networking (CCN-GRAM) is introduced that provides all the benefits of NDN and CCNx, eliminates the use of PITs by means of anonymous datagrams, and is immune to Interest-flooding attacks. Routers maintain routes to the anonymous origins of Interests using an on-demand routing approach in the data plane that can also be used to provide native support for multicasting in the dat a plane. Simulation experiments show that the number of forwarding entries required in CCN-GRAM is orders of magnitude smaller than the number of PIT entries.