Protocol discovery in multiprotocol networks

Interoperability requires that communicating systems support compatible protocols. Maintaining compatible protocols is problematic in heterogeneous networks, especially in a wireless infrastructure where hosts can move from one protocol environment to another. It is possible to improve the flexibility of a communication network's operation by deploying systems that support multiple protocols. These multiprotocol systems require support mechanisms that enable users to effectively access the different protocols. Of particular importance is the need to determine which of several protocols to use for a given communication task. In this work, we propose architectures for a protocol discovery system that uses directory services and protocol feedback mechanisms to determine which protocols are supported. We describe the issues related to protocol discovery and present protocol features necessary to support multiprotocol systems.