Network coding based bulk data synchronization in mobile ad hoc networks

Abstract

In Mobile Ad hoc Network (MANET), Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN) mechanisms can be used to cope with MANET disruptions as well as to improve the outcomes of bulk data dissemination in disrupted MANETs. We are interested in an emergency communication scenario where multiple OLSR-driven MANET partitions are deployed by different emergency responder teams to gather situational information. When two (or more) of such emergency responder teams reconvene for situational updates, there are strong demands to effectively disseminate and synchronize bulk data files (e.g. situational photos and revised maps) stored in the two previously separate MANET partitions in a newly joined MANET partition. Traditional multicast data dissemination in MANET is, however, very bandwidth consuming and does not suite our situation.We have conducted our research in two parts. First, we devise a novel approach that identifies the best emerging link among the newly formed MANET links [16]. Second, which is this work, we adopt and test the Random Linear Network Coding (RLNC) technique to facilitate the synchronization of bulk data files from two previously separate MANET partitions via such best emerging link. We evaluate our system through a real-world test bed. We call our approach DTNC-CAST which reflects the many-to-many bulk data file dissemination in a Network-Coded DTN-like manner for OLSR MANETs.