Development of a Mobile Ad-Hoc Network Testbed: Modular Implementation of Ad-Hoc On-Demand Distance Vector Routing
Gage Gailbreath, A. Koka, M. Gharib, Alireza Ebrahimi, Fatemeh Afghah · 2024
It is widely acknowledged that real implementation stands out as the most accurate performance evaluation technique, surpassing simulation-based and analytical-based approaches. However, the inherent challenges and costs associated with real implementation pose significant barriers to its widespread adoption. While several testbeds have successfully navigated these challenges for ad-hoc communication, existing solutions often come with drawbacks, such as high costs, dedication to specific protocols or hardware, and limitations in terms of mobility and AI compatibility. This paper introduces a novel, versatile testbed designed for the performance evaluation of mobile ad-hoc networks (MANETs). Noteworthy for its cost-effectiveness, modularity, mobility, and AI compatibility, this testbed supports non-homogeneous nodes and operates seamlessly on any system with a Linux operating system (OS). It is complemented by a user-level Application Programming Interface (API) that facilitates the implementation of various protocols on the testbed by separating the implementation from the OS functionality1. To demonstrate its practicality, we implemented the Ad hoc On-Demand Distance Vector (AODV) routing protocol, a complex and well-known example, and compared its results with those obtained from the network simulator ns-3.