Protocol Testing and Performance Evaluation for MANETs with Non-uniform Node Density Distribution

In this paper, we focus on Mobile Ad-hoc Networks (MANETs) with non-uniform node density distribution such as Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANETs) and Delay Tolerant Networks (DTNs), and propose a technique for protocol testing and performance evaluation. In such MANETs, node density varies depending on locations and time, and it dynamically changes every moment. In the proposed method, we designate node density distributions and their dynamic variations in a target area. Then, we construct a graph called TestEnvGraph where all node density distributions are treated as its nodes and they are connected by edges whose weights denote differences of two node density distributions. We specify a set of edges to be tested in the graph, formulate a problem for efficiently reproducing all the given node density distributions and their dynamic variations as a rural postman problem, find its solution and use it as the order of reproduction of designated node density distributions and their variations. Protocol testing is carried out by reproducing node density distributions in the derived order. We have designed and developed a method and its tool for mobility generation on MANETs, which can reproduce any designated node density distribution and its dynamic variations in a target area. From our experiments for a VANET protocol, we have shown that our method can give a similar trend in network throughput and packet loss rates compared with realistic trace based protocol testing.