IP configuration in ad hoc networks

Mobile ad hoc networks are a type of mobile network that functions without any fixed infrastructure. This new mobility context is highly dynamic. One of the weaknesses of ad hoc networks is node configuration. The configuration issue in MANET consists in assigning IP addresses to mobile nodes and dealing with the dynamic behavior of the network. To complete node configuration, new solutions prove to be necessary. Several solutions have been proposed in the literature. However, these approaches have many weaknesses. This paper proposes an autoconfiguration protocol for MANET (APM), which is based on direct configuration of new nodes and on centralized control of the configuration service. The APM considers node arrivals, node departures, and network partitioning and merge. Theoretical computation and simulation results show that APM has low latency and low overhead compared to most configuration methods based on conflict detection.