Multipoint relay

The Optimized Link State Routing Protocol (OLSR) is an routing protocol optimized for mobile ad hoc networks, which can also be used on other wireless ad hoc networks. OLSR is a proactive , which uses hello and topology control (TC) messages to discover and then disseminate link state information throughout the mobile ad hoc network. Individual nodes use this topology information to compute next hop destinations for all nodes in the network using shortest hop forwarding paths.

Link-state routing protocols such as Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) and IS-IS elect a designated router on every link to perform flooding of topology information. In wireless ad hoc networks, there is different notion of a link, packets can and do go out the same interface; hence, a different approach is needed in order to optimize the flooding process. Using Hello messages the OLSR protocol at each node discovers 2-hop neighbor information and performs a distributed election of a set of multipoint relays (MPRs). Nodes select MPRs such that there exists a path to each of its 2-hop neighbors via a node selected as an MPR. These MPR nodes then source and forward TC messages that contain the MPR selectors. This functioning of MPRs makes OLSR unique from other link state routing protocols in a few different ways: The forwarding path for TC messages is not shared among all nodes but varies depending on the source, only a subset of nodes source link state information, not all links of a node are advertised but only those that represent MPR selections.

Since link-state routing requires the topology database to be synchronized across the network, OSPF and IS-IS perform topology flooding using a reliable algorithm. Such an algorithm is very difficult to design for ad hoc wireless networks, so OLSR doesn't bother with reliability; it simply floods topology data often enough to make sure that the database does not remain unsynchronized for extended periods of time.

Multipoint relays (MPRs) relay messages between nodes. They also have the main role in routing and selecting the proper route from any source to any desired destination node.

MPRs advertise link-state information for their MPR selectors (a node selected as a MPR) periodically in their control messages. MPRs are also used to form a route from a given node to any destination in route calculation. Each node periodically broadcasts a Hello message for the link sensing, neighbor detection and MPR selection processes.

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