W2Lan: Protocol that transforms a 802.11 mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) into an ethernet lan

To overcome the partial visibility problem that Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks (MANET) exhibit [1] data link-level (level 2 OSI) routing protocols must be considered. Examples of protocols in use are the Ad Hoc On-Demand Distance Vector (AODV) [2] routing protocol -reactiveand the Destination-Sequenced Distance Vector (DSDV) [3] routing protocol -proactive-, and reviews of other routing protocols are available in [4]. A common feature these protocols share is its complexity. Another consideration is that LAN are massively deployed [5] and its protocols and applications are robust and well-known, therefore the idea of keeping them seems reasonable. An Ethernet LAN characteristic is the total visibility issue, that is, a broadcast frame reaches all members of the LAN, however, IEEE 802.11x MANETs do not have it. The proposed W2LAN protocol is a link-level layer protocol that transforms for the higher layers a 802.11x MANET into an Ethernet LAN, maintaining compatibility with other proven and well-established protocols.