Feasibility Study of Encoding Operational Mission Metadata Into IPv6 Packet Headers

The purpose of this research is to determine the feasibility of using the header fields and header extensions of IPv6 packets to encode mission metadata into computer network streams. Specifically, this thesis seeks to answer several research questions addressing the performance of different packet header encoding methods, specifically which method provides the least end-to-end delay of a file transfer over a hypothetical network as well as which method produces the least amount of additional network overhead during its operation in the hypothetical network. The research questions are answered through a comprehensive literature review and with the use of several network performance calculations. Results are analyzed and a final recommendation is given for which method would best meet the stated need. Ultimately, this research highlights a new way of tracking and reporting to military leaders the status of operational missions and tasks should a network outage or degradation occur.