Distributed mutual exclusion algorithms in mobile ad hoc networks

Abstract

The problem of mutual exclusion has been extensively studied in distributed systems. The proposed solutions can be mainly classified in consensus based and token based protocols. Some of the proposed solutions consider the physical topology of the networks and try to provide optimal message exchange and minimal synchronisation delays. Others, impose a logical structure on the network like a ring or a tree. Recently, the mutual exclusion problem received an interest for mobile ad hoc networks. These networks are known as a challenging domain. To our knowledge, few algorithms have been proposed in the literature and all of them are token based approach. In this paper, we review the distributed mutual exclusion algorithms developed for mobile environments and principally for ad hoc networks and discuss some issues.