In delay-tolerant networking (DTN), messages are delivered to destination nodes by using opportunistic contacts between contact nodes, even if stable routing paths from source nodes to destination nodes do not exist. In some DTN network environments, such as military networks, nodes movement follows a group movement model, and an efficient DTN routing protocol is required to use the characteristics of group mobility. In this paper, we consider a network environment, where both intra- and intergroup routing are carried out by using DTN protocols. Then, we propose an efficient routing protocol with overload control for group mobility, where delivery predictability for group mobility is defined and proactive overload control is applied. Performance evaluation results show that the proposed protocol had better delivery ratios and overhead ratios than compared protocols, although the delivery latency was increased.
An Efficient Routing Protocol with Overload Control for Group Mobility in Delay-Tolerant Networking