Enhancement of Performance by Embedding Trust Model into Reactive Routing Protocols

The secure routing protocols with cryptographic algorithms require many prerequisites like establishment, maintenance and operational mechanisms. The nodes in the ad-hoc network are dependent upon the trusting nature of the other nodes. The trust levels between the nodes will be developed over a period of time. A central trust authority may create an unfeasible environment in ad-hoc networks. In this paper we proposed a trust model, which enforces reliability through collaboration instead of achieving trust through security. All nodes independently execute this trust model in the network and take their decisions about other nodes in the network. We evaluated and analyzed both existing and trust based reactive routing protocols by using QualNet simulator.