Gray networking: a step towards next generation computer networks.

Modern networks are very complex. It is highly desirable to reduce management complexity in next generation network design. Researchers have been seeking inspiration in natural observations to help better manage the ever increasing complexity of modern networks. Bio-inspired and cognitive networks have shown tremendous promise towards better adapting networks to local stimuli intelligently, and to some extent without human intervention. In this paper, we discuss why the human brain is an excellent model for designing next generation smart networks. Insights gained into macro-behavior of the human brain and its structural organization in the last decade are discussed. We identify features that can be adapted for network modeling. We then propose a network design model based on our understanding of the mind, how cognition is achieved, how memory is formed, etc. We end this paper with a real life network design problem we address using the proposed general model.