Energy saving with Active Networking Remote Socket

Abstract

This project investigates whether it is possible to decrease the energy consumption of a mobile device by using principles of active networking. In this project the focus is on moving the TCP/IP stack from a mobile device and onto a modified access point. The main idea is to capture system calls of the socket API on the mobile device and then have the system calls transferred to the access point by means of Bluetooth. Once the system calls are received on the access point, the access point executes the system calls and the answer is returned to the mobile device. Bluetooth and the socket API is examined to determine how to utilize these in the development of the Active Networking Remote Socket (ANRS) system, consisting of an ANRS Mobile node and an ANRS Active Networking Access Point (ANAP). An ANRS protocol is designed to facilitate the exchange of data between the two nodes with low overhead in mind. A prototype of the ANRS system is implemented on an embedded computer and tests are conducted to determine the feasibility and potential of the system. The tests show a decrease in energy usage and the conclusion of the project is that there is a significant potential within the active networking concept but that more development is needed to explore the full potential of the active networking concept.