The International Journal of Computer and Telecommunications Networking

Computer Networks is an international, archival journal providing a publication vehicle for complete coverage of all topics of interest to those involved in the computer communications networking area. The audience includes researchers, managers and operators of networks as well as designers and implementors. The Editorial Board will consider any material for publication that is of interest to those groups.

SUBJECT COVERAGE

The topics covered by the journal but not limited to these are:

1. Communication Network Architectures:
New design contributions on Local Area Networks (LANs), Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs), Wide Area Networks (WANs) including Wired, Wireless, Mobile, Cellular, Sensor, Optical, IP, ATM, and other related network technologies, as well as new switching technologies and the integration of various networking paradigms.

2. Communication Network Protocols:
New design contributions on all protocol layers except the Physical Layer, considering all types of networks mentioned above and their performance evaluation; novel protocols, methods and algorithms related to, e.g., medium access control, error control, routing, resource discovery, multicasting, congestion and flow control, scheduling, multimedia quality of service, as well as protocol specification, testing and verification.

3. Network Services and Applications:
Web, Web caching, Web performance, Middleware and operating system support for all types of networking, electronic commerce, quality of service, new adaptive applications, and multimedia services.

4. Network Security and Privacy:
Security protocols, authentication, denial of service, anonymity, smartcards, intrusion detection, key management, viruses and other malicious codes, information flow, data integrity, mobile code and agent security.

5. Network Operation and Management:
Including network pricing, network system software, quality of service, signaling protocols, mobility management, power management and power control algorithms, network planning, network dimensioning, network reliability, network performance measurements, network modeling and analysis, and overall system management.

6. Discrete Algorithms and Discrete Modeling
Algorithmic and discrete aspects in the context of computer networking as well as mobile and wireless computing and communications. Fostering cooperation among practitioners and theoreticians in this field.TYPES OF CONTRIBUTIONS CONSIDERED

The primary purpose of the journal is to publish original and complete papers covering a specific topic or project in the above mentioned areas in sufficient detail and depth to be of practical use to interested readers. The readers should benefit from the novel solutions and analyses presented in the papers. Enhanced, extended versions of quality papers presented at conferences or workshops can be submitted to our journal for review. Note that papers which were already published with the same contents or simultaneous submission of the same paper to other journals or conferences will not be considered for publication in our journal and will be immediately rejected.

Dataset Articles. Computer Networks also publishes micro-articles that describe open datasets available in a redacted and organized way. The purpose is for researchers to easily share and reuse each other's datasets by publishing data articles that:

(i) Describe collected data in detail, facilitating reproducibility of experiments and improvements over proposed techniques, thus promoting rigorous experimentation and data analysis.
(ii) Describe tools developed to collect, analyze, and visualize data.

Open-Source Software Articles. Computer Networks additionally publishes micro-articles that describe open source software that has been used to obtain scholarly results in the area of computer networks. This may include articles describing discrete-event or other simulators, emulation tools, software implementations of networking and communication functionalities and protocols, standard implementations, monitoring tools, among others.

Special Issue on Reconfigurable Networks: Enhancing Performance and Sustainability in Access Networks and the Edge-to-Cloud Continuum
Submission Date: 2025-07-10

The convergence of access, edge, and cloud networks demands advanced reconfigurability, making network programmability essential for adaptation and optimization. This Special Issue explores innovative approaches to programmable and reconfigurable networks, focusing on performance and sustainability. Key topics include AI-driven network management, seamless access-cloud integration, security challenges, and energy-efficient solutions. We welcome contributions ranging from theoretical advancements to real-world applications. By fostering discussions on programmability, automation, and sustainability, this Special Issue aims to advance the future of flexible and intelligent network architectures.

Guest editors:

Gianluca Davoli, PhD
University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
Email: gianluca.davoli@unibo.it
(Orchestration and Virtualization in the Edge-to-Cloud Continuum)

Fabio Busacca, PhD
University of Catania, Catania, Italy
Email: fabio.busacca@unict.it
(Intelligent Resource Allocation)

Corrado Puligheddu, PhD
Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy
Email: corrado.puligheddu@polito.it
(5G and Beyond Radio Access Networks, O-RAN, Edge Computing)

Hao Wang, PhD
Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey, USA
Email: hwang9@stevens.edu
(Programmable data planes, Network Function Virtualization, End-host Networking, Network protocol design)

Yusheng Ji, PhD
National Institute of Informatics, Tokyo, Japan
Email: kei@nii.ac.jp
(AI-assisted distributed control and resource management)

Special issue information:

In response to the evolving landscape of modern networks, particularly the increasing convergence of access, edge, and cloud/data-center networks, a growing need for network equipment to support advanced reconfigurability has emerged. To this end, programmable networks are crucial for achieving unprecedented levels of network adaptation and customization. Indeed, network programmability allows software solutions to modify and optimize network configuration across the entire device-edge-cloud continuum. An example of that is the O-RAN initiative, that well represents the momentum that this approach has been gaining in the industry. Network control algorithms, based on classic mathematical optimization approaches or innovative machine learning techniques, can operate on multiple time scales, even real-time, according to the time criticality of the decision, the granularity of the input data, the time complexity of the control algorithm, and the available compute resources. Such algorithms permit not only to offer the best performance and guarantees to demanding applications, but also to make networks aware of external domains relevant to network operation. However, while these solutions enable unprecedented degrees of freedom in the programmability of the network, they should also be designed to guarantee a minimum impact on the network consumption and carbon footprint of the network.

With all of this in mind, this special issue focuses on exploring and advancing the programmability of reconfigurable networks in terms of both performance and sustainability, emphasizing access, edge, and cloud/data-center networks. We aim to foster discussions and present innovative research addressing key challenges in network management, programmability, security, sustainability, and real-world applications. For network management and control, we encourage contributions exploring how distributed planes can efficiently manage programmable elements across access, edge, and cloud, with AI optimizing real-time decisions. In programmability, we seek new models to enable seamless integration between access and cloud networks. Security focuses on mitigating vulnerabilities in reconfigurable networks, while sustainability looks at optimizing energy consumption and adapting to external conditions. Finally, we also seek papers that explore compelling use cases, particularly in smart cities, IoT, and critical infrastructure, benefiting from enhanced programmability.

We invite contributions focusing on novel approaches to enhancing programmability, dynamic data plane adaptation, and performance optimization in access and cloud/data-center networks. Submissions that address the challenges of integrating sustainability and management within reconfigurable architectures, as well as those exploring use cases and applications benefiting from enhanced network flexibility, are highly encouraged.

Manuscript submission information:

The journal's submission platform (Editorial Manager®) will be available for receiving submissions to this Special Issue from February 10, 2025. Please refer to the Guide for Authors to prepare your manuscript, and select the article type of “VSI: Reconfigurable Networks” when submitting your manuscript online. Both the Guide for Authors and the submission portal could be found on the Journal Homepage: Computer Networks | Journal | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier.

Timeline:

Submission Open Date *10/02/2025
Final Manuscript Submission Deadline *10/07/2025
Editorial Acceptance Deadline *10/11/2025

Keywords:

Reconfigurable Networks, Network Programmability, AI-Driven Network Management, Energy-Efficient Networking, Edge-to-Cloud Continuum