Multi-point Relaying Techniques with OSPF on Ad Hoc Networks

Incorporating multi-hop ad hoc wireless networks in the IP infrastructure is an effort to which a growing community participates. One instance of such activity is the extension of the most widely deployed interior gateway routing protocol on the Internet, OSPF (Open Shortest Path First), for operation on Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs). Such extension allows OSPF to work on heterogeneous networks encompassing both wired and wireless routers, which may self-organize as multi-hop wireless subnetworks, and be mobile. Three solutions have been proposed for this extension, among which two based on techniques derived from multi-point relaying (MPR). This paper analyzes these two approaches and identifies some fundamental discussion items that pertain to adapting OSPF mechanisms to multihop wireless networking, before concluding with a proposal for a unique, merged solution based on this analysis.