Abstract:

As polymorphic networks operate concurrently over a unified infrastructure, the heterogeneity and complexity among network modals become increasingly salient, raising stronger requirements for path trustworthiness and routing security. This paper presented a systematic survey of routing technologies and protocols in polymorphic networks. We reviewed representative network modals—content-centric, identity-centric, geographic-oriented, IP-oriented, and compute-oriented—summarizing their routing patterns, path-construction methods, and key characteristics, and contrasting their application scenarios together with security considerations. In particular, NDN embodied data-centric security; the IP modal had evolved BGP-SEC and RPKI to protect path integrity; and cross-modal settings had introduced trusted routing, path encryption, and path ran-domization to enhance reliability and resilience against attacks. Building on these observations, we further discussed cross-modal coordination mechanisms such as dynamic loading of network modals, identifier coexistence, and network compilation, and outlined research directions toward trustworthy path construction and verifiable network services. The goal of this survey is to provide a structured reference for the design of routing systems in polymorphic networks and to support their evolution toward a more efficient and secure next-generation network.

Key words: polymorphic networks, routing protocols, trusted routing, path verification, endogenous security