A cloudlet-based multi-lateral resource exchange framework for mobile users

The hardware improvement of mobile devices and pervasiveness of wireless technology expedite the convergence with the fast growing cloud computing trend, where the abundant resources on the cloud meet well with the deficiency of hand-held devices. Cloudlet, as a newly emerging paradigm 'bringing the cloud closer' to the end users, features a more scalable deployment fashion where idle personal servers can be efficiently harnessed. Despite an envisioned monetary saving, such a paradigm confines itself to limited application scenarios, which fails to reach a wide realm of roaming users outside the distance coverage of the access points. In this paper, we propose a cloudlet-based multi-lateral resource exchange framework for mobile users, relying on no central entities. Inspired by the success of BitCoin, we design a novel virtual currency tailored for our framework. To realize an efficient resource exchange market, we also introduce flexible pricing strategies adopted by the individual users whom we assume are rational price-takers, with solid theoretical analysis on the equilibrium state and the stability. After elaborating the key functional modules, we introduce a prototype design enabling seamless trading among mobile users on Internet bandwidth as a proof-of-concept, with least user intervention. Both simulations and experiments are conducted to verify the practicality and efficiency of our system.