Coded-Cache-Aware Multipath Transport for Efficient Trusted-Node-Based QKD Networks

Quantum key distribution networks (QKDNs) offer a promising platform for information-theoretically secure (IT-secure) communication between two or more nodes, representing an increasingly practical communication platform. Despite their promise, these systems continue to encounter significant challenges due to their restricted key-generation rate. Therefore, the efficient and effective utilization of key resources is pivotal to enhancing IT-secure communication. In this study, we propose an in-network coded-cache-aware multipath-transport mechanism called CodCam-TP that exploits information-centric networking (ICN) technologies. CodCam-TP facilitates efficient and effective IT-secure communication through in-network coding and caching, multicast, and multipath communication. Furthermore, by exploiting the pull-based hop-by-hop communication model, CodCam-TP leverages an in-band network telemetry technique to select a path based on the forwarding capacity of each available path, thus improving throughput. Additionally, we conduct several performance evaluations for CodCam-TP using Cefore, an open-source software for driving ICN-based communication, demonstrating improved secure-key-utilization efficiency and data-delivery effectiveness compared with those realized by an existing scheme.