Protocol support for policy-based management of mobile ad hoc networks

The management of mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) is a challenging task. Previous work on this topic has focused largely on the monitoring and data collection aspects of network management; literature on the provisioning of devices and protocol support for MANET configuration is scarce. We present a solution suite to extend policy-based management, for the first time, to MANETs. The solution suite consists of four schemes - k-hop clustering, dynamic service redundancy (DynaSeR), policy negotiation, and automated service discovery - each addressing different challenges in managing ad hoc networks. We propose extensions to the standard common open policy service (COPS) protocol for use in MANETs, and evaluate the system performance using simulations.