Scalable Hierarchical Distributive Auto-configuration Protocol for MANETs

In the mobile adhoc networks (MANET´s) [3] [6], one of the most challenging task is, how to configure a new node so that it can communicate with the already configured nodes in the network. The nodes in the MANET are free to move randomly, so the configuration protocol should be able to manage its configuration along with the mobility. In the MANET´s, a centralized server does not exist to manage this configuration process. There is need of a distributed auto configuration protocol that takes care of assigning the IP addresses to the incoming nodes in the network. Due to the dynamic nature of nodes in the MANET, the design of such an auto configuration protocol is very challenging. Furthermore, due to the mobility of the nodes, the network may sometimes split into different parts and sometimes, may also merge. The auto configuration protocol should be robust enough to handle network partitions and merging of the different networks. Thus, a lot depends on the type of auto configuration protocol for an effective functioning of the MANET. In this work, we have addressed these issues through our new protocol, Scalable Hierarchical Distributive Auto Configuration Protocol (SHDACP), for the configuration and management of the IP addresses in a large and highly mobile ad hoc network. The performance of this protocol is verified using the OMNET++ simulator.