Mind the Gap – Understanding the Traffic Gap when Switching Communication Protocols
Marc Werner, Tobias Lange, Matthias Hollick, Torsten Zimmermann, Klaus Wehrle · TUbilio (Technical University of Darmstadt) · 2014
A large variety of routing protocols for Wireless Multihop Networks exists today. These protocols are tailored towards a specific networking scenario and cannot be easily adapted to suit the changing requirements of novel applications, organically growing networks, etc. Introducing a modular design allowing for dynamic switching between routing mechanisms is a promising approach to overcome this challenge. However, in the transition phase between mechanisms, a gap in network traffic can occur while the new protocol is initialized, thus effectively leaving the network disconnected. The resulting service interruption decreases the user experience and violates the quality of service requirements of, for example, multimedia applications such as Voice over IP. In this paper, we perform a measurement study to analyze the characteristic effects of switching between routing mechanisms on a wireless mesh testbed. Specifically, we analyze the switch between a link state and a distance vector routing mechanisms. The obtained results allow for identifying some key factors affecting the transition between mechanism.