Distributed control and management of context-based wireless mesh networks

Abstract

Using the flexibility of Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs), we provide personalized access for highly dynamic mesh clients by splitting a WMN into several logical networks, each one configured to meet a set of specific levels of users' context demands (context can span from security, mobility, cost, services' requirements). In such approach, users can be grouped according to similarity of their context, and can be associated to the logical networks matching their context, built through virtualization (Virtual Networks - VNs). To break the traditional centralized architectures for the control of nodes and networks, this paper defines a novel context-aware distributed control framework to allow users' associations to fitting VNs, and to create, extend, or remove VNs on-demand to be adapted to the dynamics of WMN environments and mesh clients. Moreover, WMN nodes are endowed with autonomous capabilities that allow them to co-operatively control VN topologies based on indicators of resource availability and users' perceived Quality-of-Experience (QoE). © 2012 ICST Institute for Computer Science, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering.