In this paper, we present a novel approach for MANET routing that holds a potential to drastically increase scalability in terms of number of nodes (network size) and number of hops (network diameter). The new approach is founded on paradigm-shifting principles that are fundamentally scalable and secure. We first describe fundamental drawbacks of wire-based MANET routing protocols. Then, we lay out fundamental theories that overcome such drawbacks while inherently capture the unique wireless characteristics and effectively support the evolving requirements of distributed network applications for military MANET user communities. Focusing on the fundamental aspects of the problem rather than “heuristics” provides us the maximum opportunity to extend the scalability of the new protocols over a wide range of scenarios and applications. Next, we describe high-level concepts of practical MANET routing protocols that build upon these fundamentals. We claim that these protocols are likely to be inherently scalable, robust and efficient because they leverage and exploit information-theoretic principles as well as the unique MANET characteristics rather than eliminate them in order to force the wired architecture. Preliminary simulation results show considerable performance gain over legacy MANET routing approach.
Dr. Bo Ryu is Director for Networking and Systems Research Group at San Diego Research Center (SDRC) responsible for managing internal research projects, pursuing new government programs, and performing various government- and industry-sponsored projects in the areas of mobile ad hoc networking, sensor networks, satellite networking, and information assurance and network security. He serves as principal investigator (PI) or co-PI for various Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) projects from DARPA, US Army, and Air Force. Prior to joining SDRC, he was the head of Network Analysis and Systems department at HRL Laboratories, LLC (formerly Hughes Research Laboratories). At HRL, he was the program manager and PI for Connectionless Networks and Wireless Network Emulator programs sponsored by DARPA ATO during 2003-2004. He obtained his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University in May 1996. He holds three U.S. patents and has one book chapter and over 30 referred papers.