PLUGAM: Plug-In-Based Adaptation Middleware for Network Layer Protocols for Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks

Abstract

Vehicular communication environments are characterized by highly mobile nodes, frequent topology changes, and a great variation in the number of neighbor vehicles. The network layer (NL) protocols must adapt continuously to these unreliable conditions, hence the growing effort in the development of protocols specific to vehicular networks. The aim of this work is to help create vehicular systems with an adaptive network layer, by means of proposing a middleware based on an adaptation model and using as input the context information of the vehicle. The architecture will build an adaptive network layer using two types of run-time adaptations: modification of NL protocol internal parameters and adaptations where a selection between NL protocols must be made. To assess the feasibility of our approach, we present two case study examples and present a first prototype. In addition, we briefly evaluate the adaptation presented in case study 1 via simulation, and we found that it produces 20% less control overhead. Furthermore, we present an analysis of the prototype performance to get a rough idea on the cost of using the middleware in the vehicular system; results show that it is feasible to implement the middleware in hardware similar to today's midrange smartphones.