MDRP: A Content-aware Data Exchange Protocol for Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

Information exchange and content distribution is the main task of mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs). However, most of the communication protocols suggested in the literature follow conventional routing strategies to exchange messages. A data exchange mechanism solely using the content as the basis for communication relations is yet missing. In our work we identify the need for a content-aware message routing protocol and explain the scenario where such a protocol can be applied. Further we outline the new content exchange protocol called mobile data request protocol (MDRP) and explain the main protocol steps. The new protocol is then evaluated using the OMNeT++ simulation environment. The presented simulation results in the paper prove the functionality of MDRP in different scenarios. We close with a conclusion highlighting the advantages of the protocol over conventional routing concepts.