Abstract:

Although mobile IP multicast can adapt to scarce resource in wireless networks, it faces many technical challenges. A reliable mobile multicast scheme with a hierarchical architecture and fast handover capability (MMHFH) is proposed in this paper. MMHFH integrates micro-mobility and link-layer trigger methods, and emphasize on the mobile characteristics such as multicast maintenance overhead, handover latency, handover packet loss, out-of-synchronization, scalability and route stability. Results of simulation in an OPNET modeler show that MMHFH is an effective and reliable scheme with a more stable multicast distribution tree, less multicast maintenance overhead, shorter handover latency, lower packet loss rate, higher reliability, better scalability and higher multicast packet delivery efficiency.

Key words: IP network, mobile multicast, hierarchical architecture, fast handover, link-layer trigger