Node-Centric Hybrid Routing for Ad Hoc Networks

We present node-centric approaches to hybrid routing for ad hoc networks in which normal nodes are distinguished from special nodes, called netmarks, hosting popular network services or functioning as points of attachment to the Internet. With node-centric hybrid routing, netmarks force common nodes to maintain routing information for them by either sending routing updates proactively, or by requiring nodes to maintain on-demand routing entries towards them for extended periods of time. Routes between peer nodes are set up on-demand. Two node-centric routing solutions are presented based on partial link-state information. Simulation results using ns2 show that maintaining table-driven routing for netmarks and on-demand routing for common nodes performs much better than purely ondemand routing protocols based on distance vectors, path information, or link-state information.