Multicast performance in shared-memory ATM switches

Inefficient multicasting in shared-memory ATM switches restricts the output rate of cells and therefore reduces the overall performance. This paper pr oposes multicast schemes that simultaneously expand multiple multicast cell s. When a multicast cell is only partially expanded the remaining residue i s sent in later cycles (cell-splitting). This paper uses simulations to ana lyze the steady-state and transient performance of the proposed shared-memo ry multicast schemes. The proposed adjustments to multicast routing increas e the output rate of cells, which dramatically reduces the cell loss rate a nd substantially reduces the multicast delays. The order of unicast expansi on has a large effect on the performance. The returns in performance dimini sh on further increasing the number of multicast cells that can be expanded . (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.