Hierarchical Management of Vehicular Networks

Abstract

Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs) suffer from frequent communication delays and link disruptions. A solution to the connectivity problems of VANETs is to employ the Delay Tolerant Network (DTN) paradigm, resulting in the creation of Vehicular Delay-Tolerant Networks (VDTNs). However, the frequent disruptions as well as the delay and reliability constraints of certain VDTN applications hinder the employment of both conventional and DTN-based management architectures. This thesis presents the HiErarchical MANagement (HE-MAN) architecture for Vehicular Delay-Tolerant Network (VDTN) management. This architecture implements a hierarchical management topology, where a Top-Level Manager (TLM) delegates to Mid-Level Managers (MLMs) the management of clusters of interconnected nodes. Simulation results show that HE-MAN successfully organizes the VDTN in relatively stable clusters, leading to a more intelligent and efficient monitoring and configuration of VDTN nodes.