A User Level Framework for Ad Hoc Routing

The availability of inexpensive wireless networking hardware (e.g., based on the IEEE 802.11 standards) has generated interest in a large class of wireless applications. Many applications benefit from rapidly deployable networks—for example, collaborative applications to support field research or emergency incident response. The need for networks that can be rapidly deployed has resulted in a substantial body of research in ad hoc routing protocols. Such protocols use intermediate nodes as routers and support highly dynamic network configurations. We have developed a portable, user-level framework for ad hoc routing in C++. In our current implementation of this framework a tailored SOCKS proxy handles client requests and uses an implementation of an ad hoc routing protocol to provide routing. So far, implementations of DSR and flooding are provided, but other routing protocol implementations can easily be incorporated. An integrated simulator allows new routing protocols to be tested, and the code can be moved to a production ad hoc deployment with no modification. Our framework is suitable for a number of purposes, from ad hoc routing protocol research, where new protocols can be rapidly developed and tested, to the deployment of real ad hoc networks. The system is easily installed on a wide variety of operating systems and requires no kernel hacking.