Algorithms for validating E-tickets in mobile computing environment

E-tickets issued online can be used by different vendors to provide services such as discount coupons for E-shopping, or an entrance for a football game. One major issue associated with E-tickets is the problem of validation, which becomes more severe in a mobile environment due to mobility of a mobile host (MH) and frequent failure/disconnection of validation servers known as mobile support stations (MSSs). Some additional problems include the identification of duplicate submissions of an E-ticket by a MH. Thus, this paper proposes two protocols using the Flat and Hierarchical schemes for E-ticket processing and validation in a mobile environment that guarantee at least and at most once property (each E-ticket is validated at least and at most once). The protocols have been validated and compared through complexity analysis and experiments. 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.