Minimizing Routing Overheads in Zone Routing Protocol (ZRP); Replacing Zone Radius with Node Location Information

Abstract

There are many routing protocols suggested for use in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs). Among them (the routing protocols) is the Zone Routing Protocol (ZRP). ZRP uses the concept of zones to ensure that proactive activities are limited to a defined area around a node. The zone is determined by the radius (hops). By limiting a proactive zone on the radius, the transmission of data packets is made effective. However, any node that resides beyond the zone, is reachable reactively. The literature review indicates that one of the shortcomings in ZRP is the overlapping of zones. Furthermore, the exercise of determining zone radius is complicated. The overlapping of zones occurs because individual nodes and their zones are determined by a hop-count radius. Consequently, this overlapping of zones leads to increased routing overhead in ZRP. In an effort to resolve zone overlapping and thus reduce routing overheads, this study suggests the application of the Location-Aided Routing (LAR) Scheme I in the Interzone Routing Protocol (IARP) scheme of ZRP. By applying LAR Scheme 1 algorithm, the need for a hop-count-based radius is eliminated. Location information of nodes in IARP ensures that zones do not overlap, resulting in reduced routing overheads. This study simulates elementary parameters of delay, drop rates, deliver ratio, and the general throughput of ZRP based on the number of nodes, the area, and the size of the data packets. The conventional algorithm of ZRP was rendered on NS-2 and while the nodal-location enhanced ZRP algorithm on OMNET++. Simulation results suggest that the positionally enhanced ZRP algorithm minimizes zonal overlapping hence better data packets throughput, minimized delay and drop rates, and augmented data packets delivery ratio.