Creating Virtually Mobile Nodes for Testing Ad Hoc Routing Protocols

Testing and evaluation of mobile ad hoc network routing protocols is typically performed by simulation or in very small scale tests on real devices. Indeed, it is difficult to perform repeatable large scale tests with physically moving nodes according to a predetermined movement scenario. However, it is critical to test these protocols on real devices and networks because simulations inevitably leave out some characteristics of a real network. We developed a testbed for virtually mobile nodes that will enable researchers to easily test ad hoc routing protocols and other mobile applications on real devices. The testbed consists of a mobility server and real node devices. The node devices are all within radio range of each other and the server. Prior to the start of the experiment, a movement scenario file is generated by the mobility server that describes which nodes are connected at every point in time. This file is distributed to all of the nodes, and once the experiment is started the nodes dynamically filter all packets they receive by silently dropping packets from nodes virtually out of range. This technique allows any mobility pattern to be realized accurately and consistently. The tested is also equipped with some simple tools for sending packets and analyzing performance of routing protocols.