Opportunistic means that interaction can be accomplished only when connectivity is available. Tomasz Imielinski and B. R. Badrinath. Challenges in data management . With the availability of wireless interface cards, mobile users are no longer required to remain confined within the wired network premises to get network access. Wirelessness Mobility is not the same thing as wirelessness.
Mobile computing is the ability to communicate anytime anywhere.
19-28, Oct. 1994. For instance, while it might be conceivable to apply a global snapshot algorithm to a LAN, its performance is unacceptable in an Internet setting. Network nodes may move and be connected discontinuously, hence the topology of the network is no longer defined statically. These differences must be taken into account since the design stage. In networks where some regions are connected through wireless links while others are connected through conventional links the design becomes complex.