Performance of backup source routing in mobile ad hoc networks

We propose a novel routing algorithm, called the Backup Source Routing (BSR) to establish and maintain backup paths based on the concepts of similar path. The BSR algorithm selects a backup path that is piggybacked with the primary path in the header of data packets in order to achieve the most durable routes between any pair of communicating mobile nodes. We define a new routing metric, called the route durability, to provide the criterion for the backup path selection. We have developed a mathematical model from which the new routing metric can be defined in order to allow the evaluation of our algorithm. Extensive simulations demonstrated that such routing strategy has two interesting futures: (1) In less stressful situations of lower load and mobility, BSR has similar performance as DSR. (2) In more challenging situations of high mobility, BSR can improve the performance significantly.