Virtual backbone based on MCDS for topology control in wireless ad hoc networks

Abstract

This paper proposes to utilize virtual backbone to handle control messages in ad hoc networks. The virtual backbone is built by using the Minimum Connected Dominating Set (MCDS) on a graph. The first part of this paper presents a new algorithm to construct the MCDS. The construction of the MCDS is formulated using the linear programming approach. We compared the performance of this procedure with those other previous approaches, and we find that our approach is less complex and gives the nearest solution to the optimal one. The second part of this paper presents different techniques of diffusion in ad hoc networks such as flooding, clustering, MP relay, and backbone based on MCDS, etc. The flooding technique is simple and efficient, but it is expensive in term of bandwidth, and causes excessive flows of message etc. Simulation results show that the approach of virtual backbone based MCDS outperforms flooding and MP relay.