Adaptive autonomous management of ad hoc networks

Ad hoc networks are fundamentally different from wireline networks due to the following peculiarities. Ad hoc networks are autonomously formed with a large number of heterogeneous nodes (ranging in complexity from sensors to palmtops and fully functional laptops and routers) without the aid of any pre-existing communication infrastructure. Therefore, tasks are distributed over and carried out by groups of collaborating nodes. In addition, the nodes run on battery. They will have to be power-conscious to conserve energy, and the functions offered by a node will depend on its available power level and capability. Furthermore, their topology can be highly dynamic due to autonomous mobility of nodes and physical characteristics of wireless links. Energy constraints, varying wireless communication bandwidth and quality, and node mobility result in networks becoming partitioned more frequently. These make managing ad hoc networks significantly more challenging than managing wireline networks. We propose the Guerrilla Management Architecture to satisfy the survivability, adaptability, autonomy, economy, heterogeneity, and scalability requirements in managing ad hoc networks. Success in addressing these research issues will lead to robust deployment of ad hoc networks and their effective network operations and efficient resource utilization. The Guerrilla management architecture builds on the following model and mechanisms to address these specific management requirements.