A Distributed Address Configuration Scheme for a MANET

This paper proposes a distributed address configuration scheme for a Mobile Ad hoc Network (MANET). The architecture for a MANET, the algorithm of constructing a MANET, and the algorithm for calculating a unique address space for the assignment are proposed. In the architecture, a common node has a unique address space for the assignment, and an isolated node can acquire a unique address from a neighboring common node without performing duplicate address detection. In this way, the address configuration task is distributed around common nodes. In this scheme, the control packets used for address configuration are exchanged within a one-hop scope, so the scalability is enhanced. This paper also presents an address recovery algorithm that can effectively retrieve the address resources released by failed nodes and the MANET merging/partitioning algorithm that can ensure a node’s address uniqueness. This paper compares the performance parameters of the proposed scheme and the existing schemes, including strong duplicate address detection and prime dynamic host configuration protocol, and the comparative results show that the address configuration cost of the proposed scheme is lower and the delay is shorter.