Mobile ad-hoc networks (MANETs) have had a profound impact in the world of computer networks. Characterized by anytime / anywhere untethered establishment of a wireless network, the MANET infrastructure enables location-independent services. Ad-hoc networks do not need any fixed infrastructure to operate and support dynamic topology scenarios in which no wired infrastructure exists. This chapter covers the following topics on wireless mobile ad-hoc networks:
A mobile user can act as a routing node, and a packet can be routed from a source to its destination without having any static router in the network. Two classes of routing strategies in ad-hoc networks are table-driven routing protocols and source-initiated routing protocols . Security of ad-hoc networks is a key issue. Ad-hoc networks are, by their nature, vulnerable to attacks. An intruder can easily attack ad-hoc networks by loading available network resources and disturbing the normal operation of routing protocols by modifying packets. |