Research Article
An Open Wireless Mesh Testbed Architecture with Data Collection and Software Distribution Platform
@INPROCEEDINGS{10.1109/TRIDENTCOM.2007.4444728, author={Sachin Lal Shrestha and Jinsung Lee and Anseok Lee and Kyunghan Lee and Junhee Lee and Song Chong}, title={An Open Wireless Mesh Testbed Architecture with Data Collection and Software Distribution Platform}, proceedings={3rd International ICST Conference on Testbeds and Research Infrastructures for the Development of Networks and Communities (TridentCom)}, proceedings_a={TRIDENTCOM}, year={2010}, month={5}, keywords={Wireless Mesh Network Testbed Management Visualization.}, doi={10.1109/TRIDENTCOM.2007.4444728} }- Sachin Lal Shrestha
Jinsung Lee
Anseok Lee
Kyunghan Lee
Junhee Lee
Song Chong
Year: 2010
An Open Wireless Mesh Testbed Architecture with Data Collection and Software Distribution Platform
TRIDENTCOM
IEEE
DOI: 10.1109/TRIDENTCOM.2007.4444728
Abstract
A Wireless Mesh Network (WMN) is a fast growing network, which is now a popular technology for providing wireless internet connection to industry as well as community. A WMN is a collection of nodes (usually a computer with one or more wireless Network Interface Cards (NICs)) that are connected to one another with single or multiple hop ad hoc links forming a mesh backbone network. Ad hoc links are popular in mesh connectivity as they are self-configuring and self-healing. In this paper, we discuss WMN design and deployment issues with reference to our WiSEMesh testbed. WiSEMesh has 56 nodes deployed in the campus area providing internet connection for over 1000 users. Each node consists of a small form factor computer with three wireless NICs. We developed the WiSEMesh node software stack that contains unix based operating system, wireless NIC drivers, tools such as DHCP server, NAT etc. WiSEMesh has properties like scalability, open source operating software, heterogeneous hardware support, high performance, globally reachable, and easy to configure network. Hence, it can spread faster as a community wireless network and also provide a flexible platform for testing communication network layers. We also address design issues of a Network Management System (NMS) that can be implemented in any wireless network. Our NMS named WiVi provides platform for software distribution and network configuration with an elaborate data collection and storage facilities. For a large and scalable network like WiSEMesh, a massive database needs to be designed. One of the WiVi design objectives is to provide a robust, flexible and scalable database. WiVi achieves database design goals by implementing a concept “network in database” where network is logically divided into hierarchy of hardware components and each component is treated as an object in the database. The “network in database” implementation guarantees data collection and storage flexibility. By implementing the NMS software distribution platform and the hardware independent WiSEMesh node software stack, our testbed is confirmed to achieve scalability.