Internet connectivity for multi-homed proactive ad hoc networks

A prerequisite for a widespread and successful deployment of proactive ad-hoc networking technology is its ability to provide easy access to the Internet. Normally, proactive routing protocols provide routing messages that establish default routes to ensure connectivity for outgoing IPv4 packets destined for the Internet. However, mechanisms to ensure connectivity for incoming IPv4 packets from the Internet are yet poorly documented in published material. Possible solutions include implementing a modified mobile IPv4 foreign agent (MIP-FA) or network address translation (NAT) on each Internet gateway node in the ad hoc network. In this paper we discuss different strategies for providing Internet access to proactive ad hoc networks. We also describe problems experienced in our lab test-bed with default routes under the condition of site multi-homing. Based on this experience, we propose working solutions for Internet access from proactive ad hoc networks.