Hybrid proactive on-demand routing in wireless networks

Abstract

Key scalability issues in the management of routing information at each node in wireless networks running a proactive routing protocol have been identified and a solution is set forth based on hybrid proactive on-demand routing with focus on the STA association information management at each MP in a WLAN mesh. A fisheye-scope-based GAB management scheme is described where the priority of an entry is the reverse of the hop count of its associated MAP / MPP from the MP, which can be easily applicable to the case of management of general routing information. For example, the GAB proposed can maintain only those entries whose associated MAPs / MPPs are two or less hops away from the MP.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION[0001]The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 891,122 filed on Feb. 22, 2007, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes as if fully set forth herein.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention is related to wireless networks, and, more specifically, to a new class of hybrid proactive on-demand routing protocols for wireless networks, enabling a scalable way of routing information management at each node of the network.[0003]In a wireless network that uses a routing protocol to direct packets or frames between nodes through multiple hops, e.g., Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) mobile ad hoc network (MANET) and IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN (WLAN) mesh network, the management of routing information at each node is an important issue. In the case of a proactive (table-driven) routing protocol where a list of destinations and their routes are proactively maintained at each no...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

In a wireless network that uses a routing protocol to direct packets or frames between nodes through multiple hops, e.g., Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) mobile ad hoc network (MANET) and IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN (WLAN) mesh network, the management of routing information at each node is an important issue.

In the case of a proactive (table-driven) routing protocol where a list of destinations and their routes are proactively maintained at each node, the issue becomes critical as the number of nodes in the network increases.

In a MANET, maintaining a huge list of destinations and their routes (typically in a table) all the time could be a problem especially for those small devices that are mobile and battery-powered.

In case of WLAN mesh, the issue becomes more complicated.

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