MESSAGE FORWARDING IN OPPORTUNISTIC NETWORK USING PROPHATE PROTOCOL

Abstract

In opportunistic networks, route connecting to the mobile nodes never exists, mobile nodes communicates with each other when they get opportunity to communicate. Furthermore, nodes are not supported to posses or acquire any knowledge about the network topology. Rotes are built dynamically, while messages are route between the source and the destination and any possible node can opportunistically be used as next hope, provided it is likely to bring the message closer to the final destination. These requirements make opportunistic networks a challenging and promising research field. Opportunistic mobile ad hoc networks consist of human-carried mobile devices that communicate with each other in a store-carry-forward fashion, without any infrastructure. They present distinct challenges compared to classical networks, such as the Internet, that assumes the availability of a contemporaneous, reasonably low propagation delay, low packet loss rate path between the two end points that communicate. In opportunistic networks, disconnections and highly variable delays caused by human mobility are the norm. Another major challenge in opportunistic communications arises from the small form factor of mobile devices which introduces resource limitations compared to static computing systems. Moreover, implementation and deployment of actual opportunistic mobile networks, systems and applications is challenging, very often expensive and time consuming. Hence, the research community has mainly relied on simulations and analytical modeling, or on simple proof of concept prototypes to demonstrate the feasibility of these systems. This research is concerned with hybrid approach for routing in opportunistic networks, rendering traditional routing protocols unable to deliver messages between hosts. Thus, there is a need for a way to route through such networks. We propose hybrid approach which combines Epidemic Routing and Probabilistic Routing approaches together. This protocol improves reliable message delivery and low overhead on resources.