Hierarchically-organized, multihop mobile wireless networks for quality-of-service support

MMWN is a modular system of adaptive link- and network-layer algorithms that provides a foundation on which to build mechanisms for quality-of-service provision in large, multihop mobile wireless networks. Such networks are a practical means for creating a communications infrastructure where none yet exists or where the previously existing infrastructure has been severely damaged. These networks provide communications for such diverse purposes as tactical maneuvering and strategic planning on the battlefield, emergency relief in an area afflicted by a natural disaster, and field studies conducted by a team of scientists in a remote location. In this paper, we describe three key components of the MMWN system: the clustering procedures for defining a virtual, hierarchical control structure superimposed on a large network of mobile switches and endpoints; the location management procedures for determining the current locations of mobile endpoints relative to the hierarchical control structure; and the virtual circuit management procedures for setting up and repairing virtual circuits as switches and endpoints move. We also provide simulation results that illustrate the robustness of each of these components with respect to a broad spectrum of transmission ranges and relative mobility of switches and endpoints.