1. doc.: IEEE 802.11-05/0166r1 Submission March 2005 Ike Nassi & Jorjeta Jetcheva, FiretideSlide 1 The Advantages of Invisibility and Cooperation Notice: This document has been prepared to assist IEEE 802.11. It is offered as a basis for discussion and is not binding on the contributing individual(s) or organization(s). The material in this document is subject to change in form and content after further study. The contributor(s) reserve(s) the right to add, amend or withdraw material contained herein. Release: The contributor grants a free, irrevocable license to the IEEE to incorporate material contained in this contribution, and any modifications thereof, in the creation of an IEEE Standards publication; to copyright in the IEEE’s name any IEEE Standards publication even though it may include portions of this contribution; and at the IEEE’s sole discretion to permit others to reproduce in whole or in part the resulting IEEE Standards publication. The contributor also acknowledges and accepts that this contribution may be made public by IEEE 802.11. Patent Policy and Procedures: The contributor is familiar with the IEEE 802 Patent Policy and Procedures, including the statement "IEEE standards may include the known use of patent(s), including patent applications, provided the IEEE receives assurance from the patent holder or applicant with respect to patents essential for compliance with both mandatory and optional portions of the standard." Early disclosure to the Working Group of patent information that might be relevant to the standard is essential to reduce the possibility for delays in the development process and increase the likelihood that the draft publication will be approved for publication. Please notify the Chair as early as possible, in written or electronic form, if patented technology (or technology under patent application) might be incorporated into a draft standard being developed within the IEEE 802.11 Working Group. If you have questions, contact the IEEE Patent Committee Administrator at.http:// ieee802.org/guides/bylaws/sb-bylaws.pdfstuart.kerry@philips.compatcom@ieee.org Date: 2005-03-16 Authors: Name Company Address Phone email Ike Nassi Jorjeta Jetcheva Firetide, Inc. 16795 Lark Ave. Los Gatos, CA 95032 + 1 408 -399-7771 inassi@firetide.com jjetcheva@firetide.com

2. doc.: IEEE 802.11-05/0166r1 Submission March 2005 Ike Nassi & Jorjeta Jetcheva, FiretideSlide 2 Motivation Mesh opens up interesting and challenging problems that we are only beginning to understand The standard must provide a flexible platform for –Development –Innovation –New applications Sometimes a mesh looks like a network of nodes, but sometimes a mesh looks like a single node whose internal structure is invisible (i.e., it can be recursive and atomic) Innovation can happen as a network, or as a node, or in combination thereof Mesh network cooperation with other networks is essential

3. doc.: IEEE 802.11-05/0166r1 Submission March 2005 Ike Nassi & Jorjeta Jetcheva, FiretideSlide 3 An Example Mesh Model Step 1: Power on Step 2: There is no Step 2

4. doc.: IEEE 802.11-05/0166r1 Submission March 2005 Ike Nassi & Jorjeta Jetcheva, FiretideSlide 4 The Invisible Mesh Inside: –Auto discovery –Self configuring –Self healing Outside: –Looks like a multi-protocol switch Is this a mesh, or a node, or a switch?

5. doc.: IEEE 802.11-05/0166r1 Submission March 2005 Ike Nassi & Jorjeta Jetcheva, FiretideSlide 5 What Defines a Wireless Mesh Backhaul A Mesh is composed of nodes, each of which is a wireless router Nodes talk wirelessly to each other, but not to clients of the backhaul Additional nodes on a network improve network performance – more aggregate bandwidth can invisibly be made available to clients without any service disruption Nodes auto-discover and self configure across the Mesh The resulting mesh may have multiple external connections Routers gave way to NAT, bridges never did; strong value in isolating address spaces from one another

6. doc.: IEEE 802.11-05/0166r1 Submission March 2005 Ike Nassi & Jorjeta Jetcheva, FiretideSlide 6 Why is Invisibility Necessary? What is the motivation for “invisibility”? –Good fences make good neighbors! –Anonymity is a powerful tool for composition Allows for seamless integration into existing infrastructures Allows for specialized meshes for different applications based on a single standard architecture Allows for future innovation

7. doc.: IEEE 802.11-05/0166r1 Submission March 2005 Ike Nassi & Jorjeta Jetcheva, FiretideSlide 7 Prototypical Campus Environments Internet Gateway Internet Gateway Internet Start with a mesh, then, Extend network coverage to off- campus sites

8. doc.: IEEE 802.11-05/0166r1 Submission March 2005 Ike Nassi & Jorjeta Jetcheva, FiretideSlide 8 Reminder: Multi-Service Broadband Connectivity Mesh beyond WiFi –High performance for voice, video and data services –Seamless Ethernet connectivity for any access point or device –Rapid network deployment with low CAPEX and OPEX –Secure and manageable video data Voice over IP

9. doc.: IEEE 802.11-05/0166r1 Submission March 2005 Ike Nassi & Jorjeta Jetcheva, FiretideSlide 9 Park Library Coffee Shop Local WISP Deploy multiple HotSpots on the same mesh network to create a unified HotZone Public Wi-Fi Access HotZones

10. doc.: IEEE 802.11-05/0166r1 Submission March 2005 Ike Nassi & Jorjeta Jetcheva, FiretideSlide 10 Reusable Temporary Networks Outdoor Access Point Internet Gateway Internet Laptop Surveillance Camera Access Point Venues include special events, conferences, construction sites, etc., Provide Internet access to site offices and trailers Mesh nodes are easy to relocate as needed

11. doc.: IEEE 802.11-05/0166r1 Submission March 2005 Ike Nassi & Jorjeta Jetcheva, FiretideSlide 11 Warehousing & Manufacturing Inventory management, RFID systems and terminals Easily reconfigure for changing warehouse layouts WI-FI COVERAGE Internet Gateway Monitoring Station Internet

12. doc.: IEEE 802.11-05/0166r1 Submission March 2005 Ike Nassi & Jorjeta Jetcheva, FiretideSlide 12 Network Management: Making The Invisible, Visible Management of mesh and individual node settings Customization of graphical display and node placement Remote management Radio power controls Diagnostic tests and tools Traffic prioritization, VLAN and security settings

13. doc.: IEEE 802.11-05/0166r1 Submission March 2005 Ike Nassi & Jorjeta Jetcheva, FiretideSlide 13 Interoperability & Cooperation The pieces must be brought together Management -Access Control -Location control -Billing -Services Service Providers -Integration of services Mobility Improvements -Roaming across networks -Secure roaming

14. doc.: IEEE 802.11-05/0166r1 Submission March 2005 Ike Nassi & Jorjeta Jetcheva, FiretideSlide 14 Mesh Portals: Key to Interoperability & Cooperation MP Mesh X MP T-1 MP WiMax

15. doc.: IEEE 802.11-05/0166r1 Submission March 2005 Ike Nassi & Jorjeta Jetcheva, FiretideSlide 15 Mesh-Wide Settings Packet Filtering For Example, security: AES WEP Encryption Examples: –All data and management traffic can be encrypted only at the portal –Packet filtering (MAC address filtering) –VLANS –QoS

16. doc.: IEEE 802.11-05/0166r1 Submission March 2005 Ike Nassi & Jorjeta Jetcheva, FiretideSlide 16 Summary There is a powerful advantage to being an “Invisible” Mesh Network – it’s not just the fence (Mesh Portals) but anonymity as well (Invisibility) Interoperability of Heterogeneous Networks is important for unified security, QoS, management, composability, evolution, etc. Portals define the boundaries of the Invisible Network and enable cooperation between networks We need to pay special attention to Mesh Portals.