FAQ

We would like to demonstrate the capabilities of mobile ad hoc networks to the general public and in addition evaluate the performance of such a network when used in an ad hoc fashion by several users.

Ad hoc networks are an exciting new development in the field of wireless networking. Ad hoc networks can easily provide extended wireless coverage, something not easily achieved using traditional infrastructured wireless networks. Participating in the experiment can be a lot of fun especially if packets to and from the Internet travel over multiple wireless hops. Also, your participation will help the community design better and more robust ad hoc networks envisioned for use in disaster relief situations, wireless gaming, etc.

The AODV home page contains a description of the protocol and has several links to publications on the protocol.

Who should I contact for help?
Our help desk is located at the IETF conference location on the 3rd floor. We are located near the "AODV HelpDesk" poster. You can also contact Krishna Ramachandran (krishna@cs.ucsb.edu), Ian Chakeres (idc@cs.ucsb.edu), Amit Jardosh (amitj@cs.ucsb.edu) via email or in person for help on the project.

How do I setup windows to avoid going into ad hoc mode?
Windows users that are not participating the AODV network - please configure your wireless network settings to infrastructure only. To do this bring up the available wireless networks dialog (by right clicking on the network interface in the taskbar). Click advanced. Click advanced again. Select "Access point (infrastructure) networks only". Doing this will assure that you connect only to the managed acces points.

What is the ESSID of the AODV network at the IETF?
The ESSID is "aodv".

What are the installation prerequisites on Linux?
Linux with kernel version 2.4 or higher, the kernel source files, and tcpdump.

What are the installation prerequisites on Windows?
The AODV implementation for windows is the bare minimum needed. To enable metric collection, the tools ethereal with libpcap and 7-zip are needed.

How do I know what my IP address is? What if I forget my IP address?
On Linux, your IP address is contained in a file aodv.config. This file comes as part of the package you download. On Windows, the IP address is assigned when you download the windows package. If you forget what your IP address, please come by the help desk. We will be able to tell you what it is.

What is the IP address of the DNS server? How do I configure the DNS server setting on Linux/Windows?
The IP address of the DNS server is contained in the file aodv.config. In Linux, add an entry  "nameserver <IP>" to the file /etc/resolv.conf. You need to be root to be able to add that entry. For instance, if the IP address of the DNS server is 128.111.51.1, add the entry "nameserver 128.111.51.1" to the file.
In Windows, use the network configuration control panel utility to assign the IP address of the nameserver.

What should my firewall settings be for running AODV?
AODV encapsulates its control packets using UDP. It addresses UDP packets to port 654. Additionally, a prober application that detects unidirectional links communicates over port 30010 using UDP. The AODV package also sends outgoing UDP packets addressed to port 30005. Therefore, you need to configure your computer to allow incoming and outgoing UDP packets addressed to ports 654 and 30010 and outgoing packets on port 30005.

How can I see a map of the AODV network?
The map of the AODV network is visible at this page.

How do I see active AODV routes that I am participating in?
Active AODV routes can be seen by displaying the routing table in your operating system. To see the route table on linux, execute the command "cat /proc/aodv/route_table". On windows, click on the button "View active routes" to see the routing table.

Why can't I see any neighbors/routes?
Make sure that your firewall settings allow AODV packets. See a similar question answered above.

Why are unidirectional links bad?
AODV, like many ad hoc routing protocols, assumes that wireless links are inherently bidirectional in nature. Unfortunately, bidirectional links are not always available in the wireless medium because of heterogeneity in wireless card capabilities. This can lead to packets being lost when sent over unidirectional links and cause general disruption of the network.

How can I get coverage in the areas not covered by the IETF access points?
Coverage can be easily got in areas not covered by the IETF access points, provided intermediate AODV relay nodes are present that can route your packets.

What about my privacy?
The information we collect is only related to the performance of the AODV routing protocol. We also ensure that your IP address and the routing information associated with it is anonymized.

Who are the people involved in this project?
Krishna Ramachandran, Elizabeth Belding-Royer, Kevin Almeroth, Ian Chakeres, folks at Intel R&D and MOMENT Laboratory, and Ricky Taing.

Is IPv6 supported?
IPv6 is supported by some AODV implementations, but is not available on the the IAODV@ETF network.

Do nodes running AODV impact the IETF wireless network?
Regarding actual spectrum usage and medium access, AODV nodes compete for the medium just as any laptop communicating with any access point. As AODV users are IETF users and their usage should be the same weather connected via the IETF or AODV network, there should be no negative impact to the IETF wireless network.

What is "ad-hoc" mode? Will it allow me to connect to the AODV network?

"ad-hoc" mode on IEEE 802.11 wireless cards allows cards to communicate directly to each other. As apposed to requiring all communications to go through an access point. Setting your card into "ad-hoc" mode will not allow you to use the AODV network. You need to download, install and run the AODV routing daemon.