  A Mobile Ad hoc NETwork (MANET) is a type of wireless network without any
infrastructure, where nodes must adapt to the changing dynamic situations that
result from their mobility. Because of the decentralization of nodes and the
security needs of communications, management of MANETs must be self-organized,
which is a major research challenge. In order to cope with the intrinsic
properties of MANETs, a new decentralized management system for MANETs called
Self-organizing Life Cycle Management (SLCM), is here fully described and
evaluated. Regarding security, node authentication is the most critical
component of access control in any network, and in particular in MANETs.
Broadcasting is also a fundamental data dissemination mechanism in these
networks. Both aspects have received special attention when defining the
proposed SLCM system. In particular, both a strong access control algorithm
based on the cryptographic paradigm of zero-knowledge proofs, and a three-step
broadcast protocol, are here defined. This work includes the performance
evaluation of the scheme, and the obtained experimental results show that SLCM
significantly improves both the quality and the security of life cycle
management of self-organized MANETs.
