Distributed Hash Tables (DHTs) have proven to be a novel and efficient platform for building a variety of scalable and robust distributed applications like content sharing and location in the Internet. Similar to those in the Internet, distributed applications and network services in mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) can potentially benefit from the deployment of a DHT. However, bandwidth limitations, node mobility, and multi access interference pose unique challenges to deploying such DHTs in MANETs.In this paper, we first study how to efficiently implement DHTs in MANETs. We explore two disparate design options: the simple approach of directly overlaying a DHT on top of a MANET multi-hop routing protocol, and Ekta which integrates a DHT with a multi-hop routing protocol at the network layer. Second, we examine the efficiency of DHT substrates in supporting applications in MANETs by examining the performance of a resource discovery application built on top of Ekta with one that directly uses physical layer broadcast. Such a study answers the fundamental question of whether a DHT substrate can be more efficient in supporting applications than a physical layer broadcast-based protocol, since in MANETs, DHT protocols effectively rely on physical layer broadcast to discover and maintain routes.

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Abstract-Wireless mesh networks (WMNs) have been proposed as an effective solution for ubiquitous last-mile broadband access. Three key factors that affect the usability of WMNs are high throughput, cost-effectiveness, and ease of deployability. In this paper, we propose DMesh, a WMN architecture that combines spatial separation from directional antennas with frequency separation from orthogonal channels to improve the throughput of WMNs. DMesh achieves this improvement without inhibiting cost-effectiveness and ease of deployability by utilizing practical directional antennas that are widely and cheaply available (e.g., patch and yagi) in contrast to costly and bulky smart beamforming directional antennas. Thus, the key challenge in DMesh is to exploit spatial separation from such practical directional antennas despite their lack of electronic steerability and interference nulling, as well as the presence of significant sidelobes and backlobes.In this paper, we study how such practical directional antennas can improve the throughput of a WMN. Central to our architecture is a distributed, directional channel assignment algorithm for mesh routers that effectively exploits the spatial and frequency separation opportunities in a DMesh network. Simulation results show that DMesh improves the throughput of WMNs by up to 231% and reduces packet delay drastically compared to a multiradio multichannel omni antenna network. A DMesh implementation in our 16-node 802.11b WMN testbed using commercially available practical directional antennas provides transmission control protocol throughput gains ranging from 31% to 57%. Index Terms-Directional antennas, multiple channels, wireless mesh networks (WMNs).

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Multi-hop wireless mesh networks are increasingly being deployed for last-mile Internet access. Typically, network algorithms such as routing, channel assignment and topology control for such networks rely heavily on metrics that intend to capture link "quality" across the network. However, the underlying dynamics of the proposed link metrics themselves have not yet been studied in detail. In this paper, we study the dynamics of the most popular link metrics in real network deployments. Using two wireless mesh testbeds, we measure a number of link metrics across different hardware platforms and network environments. The collected measurements allow us to study the stability and sensitivity of the different metrics to various conditions. Our study provides several insights and future research directions on how network algorithms need to adapt to link dynamics as well as how popular and widely used link metrics can be improved.