Global Control Plane Architecture for Cognitive Radio Networks

This paper presents an architecture for adaptive cognitive radio networks based on the concept of a "global control plane". The proposed control architecture uses a predetermined common coordination channel for spectrum etiquette, network establishment and adaptation to changing interference environments. The focus of this work is on design and evaluation of three key components of the control protocol - bootstrapping, discovery and naming/addressing. The bootstrapping protocol uses beacons to inform neighboring nodes about a node\´s PHY/MAC capabilities and current status. The network discovery protocol helps nodes to obtain a global view of reachability and end-to-end paths in the network by exchanging and propagating local link states. Further, nodes obtain their IP addresses and perform name to network address translations using a distributed naming/addressing scheme. An ns2 simulation model of the cognitive radio network with global control has been developed and used to evaluate performance in terms of network setup time, control overhead and achievable data throughput.