In recent years, the static shortest path (SP) routing problem has been well addressed using intelligent optimization techniques, e.g., artificial neural networks (ANNs), genetic algorithms (GAs), particle swarm optimization (PSO), etc. However, with the advancement in wireless communications, more and more mobile wireless networks appear, e.g., mobile ad hoc network (MANET), wireless mesh network (WMN), etc. One of the most important characteristics in mobile wireless networks is the topology dynamics, that is, the network topology changes over time due to energy conservation or node mobility. Therefore, the SP routing problem in MANETs turns out to be a dynamic optimization problem. This paper proposes to use two types of hyper-mutation GAs to solve the dynamic SP routing problem in MANETs. The authors consider MANETs as target systems because they represent new generation wireless networks. The experimental results show that the two hyper-mutation GAs can quickly adapt to the environmental changes (i.e., the network topology change) and produce good solutions after each change.
Ad Hoc Mobile Wireless Networks Routing Protocols – A Review