Self-organising Networks: Panacea or Pandora’s Box?

Abstract

Self-organisation is a key enabler for a number of advanced networking scenarios. Algorithms for auto-configuration of nodes and self-organisation of networks have been traditionally applied to ad hoc networks and more recently to peer-to-peer overlays and sensor networks, in which it is critical to avoid human intervention to configure and reconfigure the network. As the complexity of the Global Internet and other attached and overlay networks increases, the ability for humans to understand, configure, and manage these networks is becoming increasingly difficult and expensive. Self-organisation appears to be a key technology to enable self-organising and self-managing autonomic networks.