Wireless sensor networks have become a popular research area of distributed computing. It is the emerging area of pervasive computing, for supporting daily life applications of human usage in future and could provide large amount of benefits to the society, by efficient delivery of sensed information. Network management of WSNs plays an important role for the efficient working of whole network and application. It is the research area that is recently gaining the attraction from research community. This chapter compiles some related information on the basis of studied literature regarding wireless sensors network management, including WSN background, issues and challenges, proposed solutions, and research trends.
TopIntroduction
A WSN is a network of devices, called nodes (stationary or moving), having sensing capabilities and deliver the information collected from the monitored field with the help of wireless links Buratti et al. (2009).Wireless sensor networks have attained considerable attention recently. Many researchers have attempted to improve wireless sensor networks’ management efficiency. Wireless sensors networks can sense and monitor information from the physical world, and are used in the scientific, medical, and commercial domains (Ma et al. 2010; Jiang et al. 2007).
Supporting convenient and effective network management is crucial in wireless sensor networks. Network management of WSNs play an important role for the efficient working of whole network and application (Zhang & Li 2009; Yu et al. 2006; Zhang, & Li 2008), because of having different architecture from normal data networks, it is more challenging task in WSNs (Buratti et al. 2009; Deb, Bhatnagar, & Nath, 2002; Zhang, Xu, & Sun, 2010). It is the research area that is recently gaining the attraction from research community (Buratti et al. 2009; Yu, Mokhtar, & Merabti, 2006; Li et al. 2005; Zhang, Xu, & Sun, 2010). Network management is the process that manages, monitor and control the network behavior. (Lee, Datta, & Oliver). Traditional network management techniques have become impractical for wireless sensor networks because of its unique network management requirements (Lee, Datta, & Oliver; Yu, Mokhtar, & Merabti, 2006). An efficient network management architecture is a challenge for proper working wireless sensor networks to support several sensor applications (Zhang, & Li, 2009; Yu, Mokhtar, & Merabti, 2006; Zhang, & Li, 2008; Frye, & Cheng, 2007; Townsend, & MicroStrain, 2004; Lee, Datta, & Oliver; Obaisat, & Braun, 2006; Ganesan et al. 2003; Zhang, Xu, & Sun, 2010).
This chapter aims at providing some relevant details regarding network management of wireless sensor networks. Objective is to provide the discussion regarding network management in perspective of wireless sensor networks’ issues, challenges and proposed solutions.