ABSTRACT
The decoupled nature of computing in mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) can result
in disconnections at inopportune times during an interaction between a pair of hosts.
We introduce the notion of a priori selection of partner hosts to reduce the likelihood of
disconnection during such interactions. An application may specify the times when and
the physical locations where it requires interactions with peer applications on partner
hosts. A knowledge base of the physical motion profiles of various hosts maintained on
each mobile host is used to select partner hosts that are co-located with the reference host
at the required time and are least likely to disconnect. In this paper, we present a formal
model for such knowledge management, along with an algorithm used to determine
suitable partner hosts.We also provide details of our implementation of partner selection,
which has been used in the context of a service-oriented computing middleware for
MANETs, developed previously by our group. Finally, we present simulation results of
our approach.