Mobile multicasting in wireless ATM networks

Multicasting is a desired function in both wired and wireless networks. Cur rently, multicasting-based applications have pervasive presence and influen ce in our Internet. Wireless ATM aims to support different traffic types ov er a high speed wireless network. In particular, traditional approaches tow ards multicasting in wired networks cannot be directly applied to mobile AT M networks. This includes the mechanism proposed to handle mobility in wire d networks. In this paper, we address the issues behind multicasting in wir eless ATM networks and the underlying mechanisms to support handoffs of bot h unicast and multicast connections. Through simulation, we evaluated the p erformance of optimal core-based tree (CBT), late-joined CBT, optimal sourc e-based tree (SBT), and late-joined SBT during changing multicast host memb ership conditions. In addition, we evaluated the impact of multicast receiv ers' migration on the total link cost of the resultant multicast tree. Simu lation results revealed that source-based trees incur more total link costs under both dynamic host membership and receivers' migration scenarios. How ever, it generates less control messages than the distributed CBT and SBT a pproaches.