Network traffic based assessment of reactive, proactive and hybrid MANET protocols

Abstract

MANETS are the networks that do not need backbone infrastructure support and are easy to deploy. They are Useful in the conditions when infrastructure is absent, destroyed or impractical. It is a dense collection of different nodes such as laptops, handheld computers, PDA and portable computers and mobile devices. Since many of these small computers operate for hours with battery power, users are free to move without being constrained by wires. To sustain such type of circumstances MANET has been designed. MANET has several characteristics such as, dynamic topologies, bandwidth-constrained, variable capacity links, energy constrained operation and limited physical security. The paper reveals the performance comparison of proactive, reactive and hybrid protocols. I. Introduction Mobile Ad hoc Network (MANET) is a collection of wireless mobile nodes that dynamically form a network provisionally without any support of central management. Moreover, Every node in MANET moves randomly making the multi-hop network topology to change arbitrarily at capricious times.(1). The most popular routing protocols (2) in MANET are AODV (reactive), AODV (reactive), DSDV (proactive)and ZRP (hybrid). Reactive protocols find the routes when they are needed. Proactive protocols are table driven protocols and find routes before they need it. And finally hybrid routing protocols offer an proficient framework that can concurrently draw on the strengths of proactive and reactive routing protocols.(3).In this paper, we concentrate on three MANET routing protocols, AODV, DSDV and ZRP. We consider four parameters to appraise the performance of these routing protocols: number of packets sent, number of packets received, number of packets dropped and throughput. (3).