Auto-configuration is a desirable goal in implementing mobile ad hoc networks. Specifically, automated dynamic assignment (without manual intervention) of IP addresses is desirable. In traditional networks, such dynamic address assignment is often performed using the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). Implementing DHCP, however, requires access to a DHCP server. In mobile ad hoc networks, it is difficult to guarantee access to a DHCP server, since ad hoc networks can become partitioned due to host mobility. Therefore, alternative mechanisms must be employed. One plausible approach is to allow a node to pick a tentative address randomly (or using some locally available information), and then use a "duplicate address detection" (DAD) procedure to detect duplicate addresses. The previously proposed DAD procedures make use of timeouts and do not always perform correctly in presence of partitions. In networks where message delays cannot be bounded, use of timeouts can le...
Nitin H. Vaidya