Support real-time interactive session applications over a tactical mobile ad hoc network

This paper presents the service support mechanism for a high capacity tactical mobile ad hoc network (TacMAN) that aims to offer reliable real-time session applications. Using the Internet Engineering Task Force's (IETF) standard session initiation protocol (SIP), TacMAN delivers integrated real-time multimedia session and data services over a distributed application platform. In TacMAN, SIP user agents are automatically discovered and configured applying an efficient service discovery mechanism that leverages on the cross-layer design between the application and the proactive routing layer. Such an auto-discovery capability extends to track the presence and loss of user agents in the network, enabling fast re-grouping and re-establishment of session communications in the dynamic ad hoc environment. The paper presents the application architecture of TacMAN and evaluates its performance characteristics, demonstrating the efficiency of the approach, and illustrating network design guidance for supporting SIP applications over the tactical MANET.