HIgh PERformance COMmunications

Abstract: Mobile Ad hoc NETworks (MANETs) are leaving the confines of research laboratories, to find place in real-world deployments. Outside specialized domains (military, vehicular, etc.), city-wide community-networks are emerging, connecting regular Internet users with each other, and with the Internet, via MANETs. Growing to encompass more than a handful of ``trusted participants'', the question of preserving the MANET network connectivity, even when faced with careless or malicious participants, arises, and must be addressed.

A first step towards protecting a MANET is to analyze the vulnerabilities of the routing protocol, managing the connectivity. By understanding how the algorithms of the routing protocol operate, and how these can be exploited by those with ill intent, countermeasures can be developed, readying MANETs for wider deployment and use.

This paper takes an abstract look at the algorithms that constitute the Optimized Link State Routing Protocol version 2 (OLSRv2), and identifies for each protocol element the possible vulnerabilities and attacks -- in a certain way, provides a ``cookbook'' for how to best attack an operational OLSRv2 network, or for how to proceed with developing protective countermeasures against these attacks.
Category: Journal

Abstract: This document describes a general and flexible TLV (type-length-value structure) for representing time-values, such as an interval or a duration, using the generalized Mobile Ad hoc NETwork (MANET) packet/message format. It defines two Message TLVs and two Address Block TLVs for representing validity and interval times for MANET routing protocols.
Category: Standard - IETF

Abstract: This document specifies an OSPFv3 interface type tailored for mobile ad hoc networks. This interface type is derived from the broadcast interface type, and is denoted the "OSPFv3 MANET interface type".
Category: Standard - IETF

Abstract: This document specifies a packet format capable of carrying multiple messages that may be used by mobile ad hoc network routing protocols.
Category: Standard - IETF

Abstract: This document provides recommendations for jittering (randomly modifying timing) of control traffic transmissions in Mobile Ad hoc NETwork (MANET) routing protocols to reduce the probability of transmission collisions. This memo provides information for the Internet community.


Category: Standard - IETF

Abstract: This document describes the Optimized Link State Routing (OLSR) protocol for mobile ad hoc networks. The protocol is an optimization of the classical link state algorithm tailored to the requirements of a mobile wireless LAN. The key concept used in the protocol is that of multipoint relays (MPRs). MPRs are selected nodes which forward broadcast messages during the flooding process. This technique substantially reduces the message overhead as compared to a classical flooding mechanism, where every node retransmits each message when it receives the first copy of the message. In OLSR, link state information is generated only by nodes elected as MPRs. Thus, a second optimization is achieved by minimizing the number of control messages flooded in the network. As a third optimization, an MPR node may chose to report only links between itself and its MPR selectors. Hence, as contrary to the classic link state algorithm, partial link state information is distributed in the network. This information is then used for route calculation. OLSR provides optimal routes (in terms of number of hops). The protocol is particularly suitable for large and dense networks as the technique of MPRs works well in this context.
Category: Standard - IETF