Optimized Link State Routing Protocol

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The Optimized Link State Routing Protocol (OLSR) is a protocol to connect mobile ad-hoc networks, also sometimes called wireless mech networks. It is a Link-state routing protocol. It collects data about which network members can communicate, and then calculates an optimized routing table.

The advantage of this approach is that connections are made quickly. The disadvantage is that the communication to discover network members occurs continuously. Also, calculation and memory burdens are continuing, and may be too heavy for small computers. The program is fairly large and complex.

OLSR is one of two conventional solutions to this problem. The other is AODV, a Distance vector routing protocol solving the same problem. Distance vector routing is simpler, requires less memory and calculation, but requires more delay, and when a route is needed, communication is much heavier.