Self-organization framework for mobile ad hoc networks

Mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) face a number of challenges, in particular due to dynamic network topology and large variable number of mobile nodes. To overcome these problems an effective solution is to define a self-organizing architecture that facilitates the network management task and permits to deploy wide panoply of services. One method to organize such networks is to define a virtual backbone that covers all the nodes in the network. In this paper we propose new self-organization architecture based on an optimized CDS construction. In this approach, the neighbors select CDS nodes intelligibly. In the selection processes, a new weight parameter depending on energy, link quality and connectivity is introduced in order to increase the CDS lifetime and hence the network performances. To study the benefits of this new architecture, we propose a new routing protocol called "PROC" (Proactive Routing based on Optimized CDS). Simulation results, using NS2, show that PROC minimizes the overhead and the energy consumption compared to the well-known OLSR routing protocol.