A Review of the Energy Efficient and Secure Multicast Routing Protocols for Mobile Ad hoc Networks

This paper presents a thorough survey of recent work addressing energy efficient multicast routing protocols and secure multicast routing protocols in Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs). There are so many issues and solutions which witness the need of energy management and security in ad hoc wireless networks. The objective of a multicast routing protocol for MANETs is to support the propagation of data from a sender to all the receivers of a multicast group while trying to use the available bandwidth efficiently in the presence of frequent topology changes. Multicasting can improve the efficiency of the wireless link when sending multiple copies of messages by exploiting the inherent broadcast property of wireless transmission. Secure multicast routing plays a significant role in MANETs. However, offering energy efficient and secure multicast routing is a difficult and challenging task. In recent years, various multicast routing protocols have been proposed for MANETs. These protocols have distinguishing features and use different mechanismsComment: 15 page

Adoption of vehicular ad hoc networking protocols by networked robots

This paper focuses on the utilization of wireless networking in the robotics domain. Many researchers have already equipped their robots with wireless communication capabilities, stimulated by the observation that multi-robot systems tend to have several advantages over their single-robot counterparts. Typically, this integration of wireless communication is tackled in a quite pragmatic manner, only a few authors presented novel Robotic Ad Hoc Network (RANET) protocols that were designed specifically with robotic use cases in mind. This is in sharp contrast with the domain of vehicular ad hoc networks (VANET). This observation is the starting point of this paper. If the results of previous efforts focusing on VANET protocols could be reused in the RANET domain, this could lead to rapid progress in the field of networked robots. To investigate this possibility, this paper provides a thorough overview of the related work in the domain of robotic and vehicular ad hoc networks. Based on this information, an exhaustive list of requirements is defined for both types. It is concluded that the most significant difference lies in the fact that VANET protocols are oriented towards low throughput messaging, while RANET protocols have to support high throughput media streaming as well. Although not always with equal importance, all other defined requirements are valid for both protocols. This leads to the conclusion that cross-fertilization between them is an appealing approach for future RANET research. To support such developments, this paper concludes with the definition of an appropriate working plan

A study of the Destination Guided Mobility models.

Mobility models play a critical role in the simulation studies of Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs). They greatly influence the performance of MANET routing protocols. For MANET simulations, random mobility models have been used in nearly all research studies in the past. In recent times, several studies have criticised the use of random mobility models in the performance studies of MANETs for the lack of realism in modelling mobility. Therefore, questions have been raised regarding the credibility of MANET simulation studies. Realism and simplicity are two attractive properties of mobility models achieving both together in modelling mobility has been a challenging task. Recently, a framework of mobility models called Destination Guided Mobility (DGM) models for MANETs with a basic software tool was proposed. This framework can be used to develop several simple DGM models with improved realism. This thesis is primarily interested in studying DGM models for their suitability in modelling mobility in various MANET scenarios. Our study requires a suitable simulation testbed for DGM models. Designing such a tool, referred to as DGMGen, with suitable functionality to study DGM models is the secondary objective of this thesis. More specifically, after the design and implementation of DGMGen, we study: i) the generality of the DGM models by modelling different real world scenarios ii) the connectivity analysis of three basic DGM models in comparison with the widely used Random Waypoint (RWP) mobility model iii) how to model a real life scenario using DGM models, based on the trace collected from that scenario and iv) the impact of DGM models on the Ad hoc On-demand Distance Vector (AODV) routing protocol using NS2. Our study shows that i) the DGM framework is powerful in capturing various MANET scenarios simply and more accurately, ii) DGM models confirm higher level connectivity prevailed in most real world scenarios, iii) DGM models can generate approximately the similar trace based on the insights of a real traceThe original print copy of this thesis may be available here: http://wizard.unbc.ca/record=b180785

Hybrid routing and bridging strategies for large scale mobile ad hoc networks

Multi-hop packet radio networks (or mobile ad-hoc networks) are an ideal technology to establish instant communication infrastructure for military and civilian applications in which both hosts and routers are mobile. In this dissertation, a position-based/link-state hybrid, proactive routing protocol (Position-guided Sliding-window Routing - PSR) that provides for a flat, mobile ad-hoc routing architecture is described, analyzed and evaluated. PSR is based on the superposition of link-state and position-based routing, and it employs a simplified way of localizing routing overhead, without having to resort to complex, multiple-tier routing organization schemes. A set of geographic routing zones is defined for each node, where the purpose of the ith routing zone is to restrict propagation of position updates, advertising position differentials equal to the radius of the (i-i )th routing zone. Thus, the proposed protocol controls position-update overhead generation and propagation by making the overhead generation rate and propagation distance directly proportional to the amount of change in a node\u27s geographic position. An analytical model and framework is provided, in order to study the various design issues and trade-offs of PSR routing mechanism, discuss their impact on the protocol\u27s operation and effectiveness, and identify optimal values for critical design parameters, under different mobility scenarios. In addition an in-depth performance evaluation, via modeling and simulation, was performed in order to demonstrate PSR\u27s operational effectiveness in terms of scalability, mobility support, and efficiency. Furthermore, power and energy metrics, such as path fading and battery capacity considerations, are integrated into the routing decision (cost function) in order to improve PSR\u27s power efficiency and network lifetime. It is demonstrated that the proposed routing protocol is ideal for deployment and implementation especially in large scale mobile ad hoc networks. Wireless local area networks (WLAN) are being deployed widely to support networking needs of both consumer and enterprise applications, and IEEE 802.11 specification is becoming the de facto standard for deploying WLAN. However IEEE 802.11 specifications allow only one hop communication between nodes. A layer-2 bridging solution is proposed in this dissertation, to increase the range of 802.11 base stations using ad hoc networking, and therefore solve the hotspot communication problem, where a large number of mobile users require Internet access through an access point. In the proposed framework nodes are divided into levels based on their distance (hops) from the access point. A layer-2 bridging tree is built based on the level concept, and a node in certain level only forwards packets to nodes in its neighboring level. The specific mechanisms for the forwarding tree establishment as well as for the data propagation are also introduced and discussed. An analytical model is also presented in order to analyze the saturation throughput of the proposed mechanism, while its applicability and effectiveness is evaluated via modeling and simulation. The corresponding numerical results demonstrate and confirm the significant area coverage extension that can be achieved by the solution, when compared with the conventional 802.1 lb scheme. Finally, for implementation purposes, a hierarchical network structure paradigm based on the combination of these two protocols and models is introduced

Multicast outing protocols and architectures in mobile ad-hoc wireless networks

The basic philosophy of personal communication services is to provide user-to-user, location independent communication services. The emerging group communication wireless applications, such as multipoint data dissemination and multiparty conferencing tools have made the design and development of efficient multicast techniques in mobile ad-hoc networking environments a necessity and not just a desire. Multicast protocols in mobile adhoc networks have been an area of active research for the past few years. In this dissertation, protocols and architectures for supporting multicast services are proposed, analyzed and evaluated in mobile ad-hoc wireless networks. In the first chapter, the activities and recent advances are summarized in this work-in-progress area by identifying the main issues and challenges that multicast protocols are facing in mobile ad-hoc networking environments and by surveying several existing multicasting protocols. a classification of the current multicast protocols is presented, the functionality of the individual existing protocols is discussed, and a qualitative comparison of their characteristics is provided according to several distinct features and performance parameters. In the second chapter, a novel mobility-based clustering strategy that facilitates the support of multicast routing and mobility management is presented in mobile ad-hoc networks. In the proposed structure, mobile nodes are organized into nonoverlapping clusters which have adaptive variable-sizes according to their respective mobility. The mobility-based clustering (MBC) approach which is proposed uses combination of both physical and logical partitions of the network (i.e. geographic proximity and functional relation between nodes, such as mobility pattern etc.). In the third chapter, an entropy-based modeling framework for supporting and evaluating the stability is proposed in mobile ad-hoc wireless networks. The basic motivations of the proposed modeling approach stem from the commonality observed in the location uncertainty in mobile ad-hoc wireless networks and the concept of entropy. In the fourth chapter, a Mobility-based Hybrid Multicast Routing (MHMR) protocol suitable for mobile ad-hoc networks is proposed. The MHMR uses the MBC algorithm as the underlying structure. The main features that the proposed protocol introduces are the following: a) mobility based clustering and group based hierarchical structure, in order to effectively support the stability and scalability, b) group based (limited) mesh structure and forwarding tree concepts, in order to support the robustness of the mesh topologies which provides limited redundancy and the efficiency of tree forwarding simultaneously, and c) combination of proactive and reactive concepts which provide the low route acquisition delay of proactive techniques and the low overhead of reactive methods. In the fifth chapter, an architecture for supporting geomulticast services with high message delivery accuracy is presented in mobile ad-hoc wireless networks. Geomulticast is a specialized location-dependent multicasting technique, where messages are multicast to some specific user groups within a specific zone. An analytical framework which is used to evaluate the various geomulticast architectures and protocols is also developed and presented. The last chapter concludes the dissertation

Channel-Adaptive Probabilistic Broadcast in Route Discovery Mechanism of MANETs

Broadcasting is the backbone of the route discovery process in on-demand routing protocols in Mobile Ad-hoc Networks (MANETs). Pure flooding is the simplest and most common broadcasting technique for route discovery in on-demand routing protocols. In pure flooding, the route request (RREQ) packet is broadcasted and each receiving node rebroadcasts it. This continues until the RREQ packet arrives at the destination node. The obvious drawback of pure flooding is excessive redundant traffic that degrades the system performance. This is commonly known as broadcast storm problem (BSP). To address BSP, various probabilistic broadcast schemes have been proposed in the literature where a node broadcasts a RREQ packet with a certain probability. However, these schemes do not consider the effects of thermal noise and co-channel interference which cannot be ignored in realistic MANETs, and therefore, these schemes do not perform well in real life MANETs. This paper presents a novel Channel Adaptive Probabilistic Broadcast (CAPB) scheme that adapts the rebroadcast probability dynamically to the current SINR (Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio) and node density in the neighborhood. The proposed scheme and two related state of the art (SoA) schemes from the literature are implemented in the standard AODV routing protocol to replace the pure flooding based broadcast. Extensive ns-2 simulation results show that the proposed scheme outperforms the standard AODV, and the two competitors in terms of routing overhead, throughput, end-to-end delay and energy consumption significantly in noisy MANETs

Mobility-based Routing Overhead Management in Reconfigurable Wireless Ad hoc Networks

Mobility-Based Routing Overhead Management in Reconfigurable Wireless Ad Hoc Networks Routing Overheads are the non-data message packets whose roles are establishment and maintenance of routes for data packets as well as neighbourhood discovery and maintenance. They have to be broadcasted in the network either through flooding or other techniques that can ensure that a path exists before data packets can be sent to various destinations. They can be sent reactively or periodically to neighbours so as to keep nodes updated on their neighbourhoods. While we cannot do without these overhead packets, they occupy much of the limited wireless bandwidth available in wireless networks. In a reconfigurable wireless ad hoc network scenario, these packets have more negative effects, as links need to be confirmed more frequently than in traditional networks mainly because of the unpredictable behaviour of the ad hoc networks. We therefore need suitable algorithms that will manage these overheads so as to allow data packet to have more access to the wireless medium, save node energy for longer life of the network, increased efficiency, and scalability. Various protocols have been suggested in the research area. They mostly address routing overheads for suitability of particular protocols leading to lack of standardisation and inapplicability to other protocol classes. In this dissertation ways of ensuring that the routing overheads are kept low are investigated. The issue is addressed both at node and network levels with a common goal of improving efficiency and performance of ad hoc networks without dedicating ourselves to a particular class of routing protocol. At node level, a method hereby referred to as "link availability forecast", that minimises routing overheads used for maintenance of neighbourhood, is derived. The targeted packets are packets that are broadcasted periodically (e.g. hello messages). The basic idea in this method is collection of mobility parameters from the neighbours and predictions or forecasts of these parameters in future. Using these parameters in simple calculations helps in identifying link availabilities between nodes participating in maintenance of networks backbone. At the network level, various approaches have been suggested. The first approach is the cone flooding method that broadcasts route request messages through a predetermined cone shaped region. This region is determined through computation using last known mobility parameters of the destination. Another approach is what is hereby referred as "destination search reverse zone method". In this method, a node will keep routes to destinations for a long time and use these routes for tracing the destination. The destination will then initiate route search in a reverse manner, whereby the source selects the best route for next delivery. A modification to this method is for the source node to determine the zone of route search and define the boundaries within which the packet should be broadcasted. The later method has been used for simulation purposes. The protocol used for verification of the improvements offered by the schemes was the AODV. The link availability forecast scheme was implemented on the AODV and labelled AODV_LA while the network level implementation was labelled AODV_RO. A combination of the two schemes was labelled AODV_LARO

Ad hoc network security and modeling with stochastic petri nets

Advances in wireless technology and portable computing along with demands for high user mobility have provided a major promotion toward the development of ad hoc networks. These networks feature dynamic topology, self-organization, limited bandwidth and battery power of a node. Unlike the existing commercial wireless systems and fixed infrastructure networks, they do not rely on specialized routers for path discovery and traffic routing. Security is an important issue in such networks. Typically, mobile nodes are significantly more susceptible to physical attacks than their wired counterparts. This research intends to investigate the ad hoc network routing security by proposing a performance enhanced Secure ad hoc On-demand Routing protocol (SOR). Specifically, it presents a method to embed Security Level into ad hoc on-demand routing protocols using node-disjoint multipath, and to use maximum hopcount to restrict the number of routing packets in a specific area. The proposed scheme enables the use of security as a marked factor to improve the relevance of the routes discovered by ad hoc routing protocols. It provides customizable security to the flow of routing protocol messages. In general, SOR offers an alternative way to implement security in on-demand routing protocols. Ad hoc network is too complex to allow analytical study for explicit performance expressions. This research presents a Stochastic Petri net-based approach to modeling and analysis of mobile ad hoc network. This work illustrates how this model is built as a scalable model and used to exploit the characteristics of the networks. The proposed scheme is a powerful analytical model that can be used to derive network performance much more easily than a simulation-based approach. Furthermore, the proposed model is extended to study the performance of ad hoc network security by adding multipath selection and security measurement parameters. This research gives a quantificational measurement to analyze the performance of a modified SPN model under the effect of multipath and attack of a hypothetical compromised node

On-demand route discovery in a unicast manner

While having high bandwidth-efficiency, the ad-hoc on-demand distance vector (AODV) routing protocol suffers from high signaling overhead due to route request (RREQ) messages flooding, especially when the node density and the number of connections are increased. In order to resolve this broadcast storm problem of the AODV in a high node density mobile ad-hoc network, we propose a geographical on-demand route discovery scheme. Assuming a known location of the destination, the RREQ of the proposed routing protocol is propagated in a unicast manner by employing a novel parsing mechanism for possible duplicate RREQs. The routing overhead of the proposed routing protocol is greatly robust to the node density change. We derive the node density required for the proposed routing protocol to keep the same connectivity as the AODV under the circumstance where the nodes are uniformly distributed. In addition, we present an imaginary destination consideration method to incorporate the uncertainty of the destination???s location due to mobility. Computer simulations show that the proposed scheme enables the RREQ propagation to cover 95% of the one-hop communication area centered at the originally known location of the destination without sacrificing the unicast feature