Reliability evaluation of mobile ad hoc networks by considering link expiration time and border time

Abstract

Mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) are self-configurable, infrastructure-less networks with inherent versatility. The node mobility in these networks leads to frequent changes in network topology because of the formation of new links and cessation of the old ones, thereby, is a possible cause of high packet losses. Despite such daunting challenges, a MANET promises to become ever-present technology and has shown its usefulness in various potential areas of applications. The reliability assessment of such dynamically changing networks is attracting the attention of researchers all over the globe. In this paper, we propose a Monte Carlo Simulation procedure to evaluate the reliability of a MANET by utilizing the link expiration time and Border Time to determine more precisely the incremental time at which topology change would occur. We also assess the performance of a MANET by varying different scenario metrics, viz., transmission range, number of nodes, coverage area and the number of iterations. The simulated results ensure that the evaluation of reliability of a MANET can be effectively performed by the proposed method.