Capacity compatible 2-level link state routing for ad hoc networks with mobile clusterheads

The throughput of a mobile ad hoc network (MANET) is determined by the transceiver link capacity available at each node and the type of traffic pattern that is prevalent in the network. In order for a routing protocol to be scalable, its control overhead must not exceed transceiver link capacity. To achieve capacity compatible routing, hierarchical techniques may be employed. This paper describes how link state routing, with a single layer of hierarchy, provides sufficient scalability for MANETs where the traffic pattern consists of unicast communication between arbitrary pairs of nodes.