A Complete Transmitted Message in DTNs with a Stable Coalition in Dynamic Structures

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a model for Delay Tolerant Networks (DTNs) based coalition and stable structure of all relay nodes to deliver a complete message from one source to one destination using the Epidemic Forwarding Policy. The message is viewed as a series of uniformly sized chunks that are produced by a fixed source. For a message to be considered successfully delivered, all of its chunks must arrive at the fixed destination within the validated time. The Age of Information (AoI) provides a deadline by which all message chunks must reach the destination to be considered timely. Mobile relays within the network will facilitate the transfer of chunks using an insensitive reward mechanism. We propose a distributed coalition algorithm that aims to establish a state of stability among all participating relays in the game. Through this algorithm, we were able to determine that the formation of stable coalitions results in higher payoffs for relay nodes compared to acting alone, as shown in our performance evaluation results.