Low Cost Quality of Service Multicast Routing in High Speed Networks

Many of the services envisaged for high speed networks, such as B-ISDN/ATM, will support real-time applications with large numbers of users. Examples of these types of application range from those used by closed groups, such as private video meetings or conferences, where all participants must be known to the sender, to applications used by open groups, such as video lectures, where partcipants need not be known by the sender. These types of application will require high volumes of network resources in addition to the real-time delay constraints on data delivery. For these reasons, several multicast routing heuristics have been proposed to support both interactive and distribution multimedia services, in high speed networks. The objective of such heuristics is to minimise the multicast tree cost while maintaining a real-time bound on delay. Previous evaluation work has compared the relative average performance of some of these heuristics and concludes that they are generally efficient, although some perform better for small multicast groups and others perform better for larger groups. Firstly, we present a detailed analysis and evaluation of some of these heuristics which illustrates that in some situations their average performance is reversed; a heuristic that in general produces efficient solutions for small multicasts may sometimes produce a more efficient solution for a particular large multicast, in a specific network. Also, in a limited number of cases using Dijkstra's algorithm produces the best result. We conclude that the efficiency of a heuristic solution depends on the topology of both the network and the multicast, and that it is difficult to predict. Because of this unpredictability we propose the integration of two heuristics with Dijkstra's shortest path tree algorithm to produce a hybrid that consistently generates efficient multicast solutions for all possible multicast groups in any network. These heuristics are based on Dijkstra's algorithm which maintains acceptable time complexity for the hybrid, and they rarely produce inefficient solutions for the same network/multicast. The resulting performance attained is generally good and in the rare worst cases is that of the shortest path tree. The performance of our hybrid is supported by our evaluation results. Secondly, we examine the stability of multicast trees where multicast group membership is dynamic. We conclude that, in general, the more efficient the solution of a heuristic is, the less stable the multicast tree will be as multicast group membership changes. For this reason, while the hybrid solution we propose might be suitable for use with closed user group multicasts, which are likely to be stable, we need a different approach for open user group multicasting, where group membership may be highly volatile. We propose an extension to an existing heuristic that ensures multicast tree stability where multicast group membership is dynamic. Although this extension decreases the efficiency of the heuristics solutions, its performance is significantly better than that of the worst case, a shortest path tree. Finally, we consider how we might apply the hybrid and the extended heuristic in current and future multicast routing protocols for the Internet and for ATM Networks.

Analysis of Performance of Dynamic Multicast Routing Algorithms

In this paper, three new dynamic multicast routing algorithms based on the greedy tree technique are proposed; Source Optimised Tree, Topology Based Tree and Minimum Diameter Tree. A simulation analysis is presented showing various performance aspects of the algorithms, in which a comparison is made with the greedy and core based tree techniques. The effects of the tree source location on dynamic membership change are also examined. The simulations demonstrate that the Source Optimised Tree algorithm achieves a significant improvement in terms of delay and link usage when compared to the Core Based Tree, and greedy algorithm

An Efficient Algorithm for Delay and Delay- Variation Bounded Core Based Tree Generation

Many multimedia group applications require the construction of multicast tree satisfying the quality of service (QoS) requirements. To support real time communication, computer networks need to optimize the Delay and Delay-Variation Bounded Multicast Tree (DVBMT). The problem is to satisfy the end-to-end delay and delay-variation within an upper bound. The DVBMT problem is known to be NP complete. In this paper, we propose an efficient core selection algorithm for satisfying the end-to-end delay and delay-variation within an upper bound. The efficiency of the proposed algorithm is validated through the simulation. The simulation results reveal that our algorithm performs better than the existing heuristic algorithms

Introduction to IP multicast in production networks

The objective of this paper is to introduce the reader to the world of IP multicasting. I intend to achieve this goal by providing an introduction that bridges the gap between the existing unicast networks and the developing multicast network. The basics of multicast that is covered in the earlier chapter includes the multicast addressing scheme, different protocols used for multicast transmission, various distribution trees that are formed by these protocols and various aspects of multicast forwarding. We take a look at IGMP which is the protocol that runs between the host devices and their first hop multicast routers, enabling the host to join/leave a multicast group. The protocols used for running IP multicast over networks are discussed in detail with additional emphasis on PIM-SM which is the most common among the available selection. The paper concludes with a general overlook on the avenues where multicasting could play a major role benefitting the Internet Service Providers and eve large corporate networks, and a glance on the pros and cons of multicasting

Real-time public group collaboration using IP multicast label filters

Internet based enterprise level collaboration tools enable organizations to make decisions faster and more accurately with less effort. However, these tools provide limited real-time group collaboration within and across organizations. Multicast protocols were developed to provide efficient group communication. This paper proposes a novel IP multicast network layer filter architecture that provides efficient and scalable real-time group collaboration between the required entities within an organization. This proposed network architecture uses a label filter mechanism to improve scalability and bandwidth for one-to-many and many-to-many real-time collaboration

Performance of a shared tree multicast label filter architecture

This paper defines a new multicast filter algorithm. This algorithm is used to filter packets on a mobile multicast architecture using a multicast shared tree. In a mobile multicast architecture, communications between a corresponding node (source) and the mobile node (receiver) should be private and not be sent to every node (receivers) on the multicast tree. We propose using an algorithm that sets up a label sub-tree on an existing mobile multicast shared tree to filter packets based on these labels. Our proposed label filter architecture is implemented differently to the current MPLS architecture. In this paper, we validate the effectiveness of the label filter in mobile communication compared to the traditional method of creating a new multicast tree by analysing the message and time complexity of the algorithm against the setting up time of a new multicast shared tree

Scalable IP multicast for many very small groups with many senders and its application to mobility

We consider the problem of multicast routing in a large single domain network with a very large number of multicast groups with small number of receivers. Such a case occurs, for example, when multicast addresses are statically allocated to mobile terminals, as a mechanism to manage Internet host mobility. For such networks, existing dense or sparse mode multicast routing algorithms do not scale well with the number of multicast groups. We propose an alternative solution called Distributed Core Multicast (DCM) that is based on an extension of the centre-based tree approach. We also describe how our approach can be used to support mobile terminals

Distributed Core Multicast (DCM): a multicast routing protocol for many groups with few receivers

We present a multicast routing protocol called Distributed Core Multicast (DCM). It is intended for use within a large single Internet domain network with a very large number of multicast groups with a small number of receivers. Such a case occurs, for example, when multicast addresses are allocated to mobile hosts, as a mechanism to manage Internet host mobility or in large distributed simulations. For such cases, existing dense or sparse mode multicast routing algorithms do not scale well with the number of multicast groups. DCM is based on an extension of the centre-based tree approach. It uses several core routers, called Distributed Core Routers (DCRs) and a special control protocol among them. DCM aims: (1) avoiding multicast group state information in backbone routers, (2) avoiding triangular routing across expensive backbone links, (3) scaling well with the number of multicast groups. We evaluate the performance of DCM and compare it to an existing sparse mode routing protocol when there is a large number of small multicast groups. We also analyse the behaviour of DCM when the number of receivers per group is not a small number

Learning algorithms for the control of routing in integrated service communication networks

There is a high degree of uncertainty regarding the nature of traffic on future integrated service networks. This uncertainty motivates the use of adaptive resource allocation policies that can take advantage of the statistical fluctuations in the traffic demands. The adaptive control mechanisms must be 'lightweight', in terms of their overheads, and scale to potentially large networks with many traffic flows. Adaptive routing is one form of adaptive resource allocation, and this thesis considers the application of Stochastic Learning Automata (SLA) for distributed, lightweight adaptive routing in future integrated service communication networks. The thesis begins with a broad critical review of the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques applied to the control of communication networks. Detailed simulation models of integrated service networks are then constructed, and learning automata based routing is compared with traditional techniques on large scale networks. Learning automata are examined for the 'Quality-of-Service' (QoS) routing problem in realistic network topologies, where flows may be routed in the network subject to multiple QoS metrics, such as bandwidth and delay. It is found that learning automata based routing gives considerable blocking probability improvements over shortest path routing, despite only using local connectivity information and a simple probabilistic updating strategy. Furthermore, automata are considered for routing in more complex environments spanning issues such as multi-rate traffic, trunk reservation, routing over multiple domains, routing in high bandwidth-delay product networks and the use of learning automata as a background learning process. Automata are also examined for routing of both 'real-time' and 'non-real-time' traffics in an integrated traffic environment, where the non-real-time traffic has access to the bandwidth 'left over' by the real-time traffic. It is found that adopting learning automata for the routing of the real-time traffic may improve the performance to both real and non-real-time traffics under certain conditions. In addition, it is found that one set of learning automata may route both traffic types satisfactorily. Automata are considered for the routing of multicast connections in receiver-oriented, dynamic environments, where receivers may join and leave the multicast sessions dynamically. Automata are shown to be able to minimise the average delay or the total cost of the resulting trees using the appropriate feedback from the environment. Automata provide a distributed solution to the dynamic multicast problem, requiring purely local connectivity information and a simple updating strategy. Finally, automata are considered for the routing of multicast connections that require QoS guarantees, again in receiver-oriented dynamic environments. It is found that the distributed application of learning automata leads to considerably lower blocking probabilities than a shortest path tree approach, due to a combination of load balancing and minimum cost behaviour