Virtual structure routing in ad hoc networks

Routing protocols are the main issue of ad hoc networks. Because flat propositions (reactive, proactive) are not sufficient and suffer of lack of performance, new solutions should be investigated and proposed. In the other hand, virtual topologies propose to structure the network and to give a hierarchy between the strongest and the weakest nodes. We propose a new routing protocol, Virtual Structure Routing (VSR), based on a virtual topology including both a backbone and clusters. The backbone is used to collect control traffic and to reduce overhead for route discovering. VSR uses clusters to define a route as a list of clusters Id. This cluster topology is more stable than the physical topology. Hence, routes are more robust. VSR combines the assets of both flat approaches: intra-cluster routing is proactive while inter-cluster routing is reactive. Finally, routes are computed dynamically and a mechanism of route repair is proposed.