Mobile ad hoc networks: Local distributed algorithms for virtual backbone

Mobile ad hoc networks are temporary, wireless, multi-hop, self-organizing networks in which terminals have weak battery supply, processing power and limited bandwidth. In addition to traditional cellular networks (GSM, 3G, LTE) and increasingly popular WiFi networks, mobile ad hoc networks will be present in many spheres of human activity in the future. Especially important application areas are rescue and disaster recovery missions. In recent years, routing algorithms for mobile ad hoc networks have been popular research topics. This paper represents a survey of local distributed algorithms which are used for virtual backbone-based routing. The virtual backbone transforms an original flat structure of the mobile ad hoc networks into hierarchical, which is more appropriate for routing management. This paper presents various categories of algorithms and can facilitate decision of which algorithm is suitable for particular purpose.