Network Management of Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANET): Architecture, Use Cases, and Applicability

This document aims at providing an extended architecture, use case and applicability statement for management of MANETs, as a guideline for how to manage MANETs. This document describes different management activities, such as network configuration, monitoring of state, monitoring of performance, fault management, and software upgrades. Different aspects of a MANET management architecture are illustrated (e.g., distributed vs. centralized management, flat vs. hierarchical management, management of an entire network vs. an individual router, etc.) and contrasted to the NMS architecture in the Internet. A desciption of typical MANET use cases relevant for management is followed by an overview of current standard management protocols that can be used in MANETs.