Interconnected Chord-rings

The future of computer networking will be dominated by dynamic, autonomous networks interacting with each other, while constantly forming new topologies by compositions and decompositions. These networks will be governed by distributed management entities, relying on a distributed data storage maintained by the individual members of the autonomous network. Distributed hash tables (DHT) provide a feasible solution for creating and maintaining data storage facilities for such networks. In our previous work we presented Chord-Zip, an algorithm that provides a scalable merger for Chord rings with continuously high data availability, thereby enabling DHTs to be used in dynamic environments of future networks. In this paper we propose a novel architecture for the composition of Chord rings, which maintains the individual ring structures, while providing the same interworking functions as our Chord-Zip merger. This new architecture enables a wider range of network-network interactions, including the movement of nodes between rings, joining or removal of rings from the architecture, and decomposition of a Chord-ring into multiple rings. The proposed architecture can also be used to provide advanced data management features, or replication of data elements based on network topology. It also provides an increased robustness for network failure scenarios, where a merger is not feasible.