Field experiments for Dynamic Source Routing: S2C EvoLogics modems run the SUN protocol using the DESERT Underwater libraries

In this paper we present a performance evaluation and feasibility test of SUN, a routing protocol for underwater networks inspired to Dynamic Source Routing (DSR), to which it adds several features that improve its behavior in underwater environments. The evaluation has been performed with real devices, and has been made possible through a collaboration between the Department of Information Engineering (DEI) of the University of Padova, Italy and EvoLogics GmbH, Germany. In detail, the idea put in practice in this work is to command real hardware, i.e., the S2C acoustic modems of EvoLogics, by means of the ns2/NS-Miracle engine developed and extensively used primarily by research institutions. This approach favors code reuse and speeds up the realization of flexible and easily modifiable network prototypes. Our results show that SUN can deal with typical network issues such as the disconnection of a node and the appearance of additional nodes, and that it copes well with dynamic topology changes.