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A mobile ad hoc network (MANET) is a network of wireless mobile devices. A node can be a laptop, a PDA, a mobile phone, or any mobile device with the ability to communicate with other devices. The topology of the network keeps on changing over time as nodes may move about, some new nodes join the network, or some other nodes disengage themselves from the network. The network is created, managed, and organized purely by the nodes themselves without the assistance of any centralized third party or fixed infrastructure. Consequently, cooperation of the nodes among themselves is the platform on which this network is built. A node not only uses the network for communicating with other nodes, but also supports the network by performing routing functions. A node that wants to communicate with another node which is not within its communication range takes the help of the intermediate nodes to relay its message. MANETs have distinct advantages over traditional networks in that they can easily be set up and dismantled, apart from providing flexibility as the nodes are not tethered. Figure 7-1 gives an illustration of a MANET. A MANET is an attractive and cost-effective solution for providing communication in areas where fixed infrastructure is not available, not reliable, or setting up fixed infrastructures is not a viable option due to constraints such as