Ensuring Cache Freshness in On-demand Routing Protocols for Mobile Ad Hoc Network: A Cross-layer Framework

TL;DR

This paper introduces a cross-layer framework that uses RSSI data to optimize cache timeout policies, enhancing route freshness and performance in on-demand routing protocols for mobile ad hoc networks.

Contribution

It proposes a novel cross-layer approach leveraging RSSI to dynamically set cache timeout, addressing cache pollution caused by node mobility.

Findings

Improved route cache freshness and accuracy.

Reduced stale route usage and route discovery frequency.

Enhanced overall network performance.

Abstract

One of the big challenges in ad hoc network design is packet routing. Studies have shown that on-demand routing protocols perform better than table-driven routing protocols. In order to avoid route discovery for each packet, on-demand routing protocols cache routes previously learnt. A node in ad hoc network learns routing information by overhearing or forwarding packets to other nodes and keep learned routes in its route cache. However, node movement results broken links and therefore increases risk of cache pollution. Ensuring cache freshness in on-demand routing protocols, therefore, presents a serious challenge. A lot of research has been done in route cache organization, however, little effort has been done for route cache timeout policy to prevent stale routes from being used. In this paper we propose a new cross-layer framework to improve route cache performance in on-demand routing protocols. The proposed framework presents novel use of Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) information to choose cache timeout of individual links in route cache.