Ryan W Thomas

Multicast Algorithms for Mobile Satellite Communication Networks Ryan W Thomas

Publisher Marketing: With the rise of mobile computing and an increasing need for ubiquitous high speed data connections, Internet-in-the-sky solutions are becoming increasingly viable. To reduce the network overhead of one-to-many transmissions, the multicast protocol has been devised. The implementation of multicast in these Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations is a critical component to achieving an omnipresent network environment. This research examines the system performance associated with two terrestrial-based multicast mobility solutions, Distance Vector Multicast Routing Protocol (DVMRP) with mobile IP and On Demand Multicast Routing Protocol (ODMRP). These protocols are implemented and simulated in a six plane, 66 satellite LEO constellation. Each protocol was subjected to various workload, to include changes in the number of source nodes and the amount of traffic generated by these nodes. Results from the simulation trials show the ODMRP protocol provided greater than 99% reliability in packet deliverability, at the cost of more than 8 bits of overhead for every 1 bit of data for multicast groups with multiple sources. In contrast, DVMRP proved robust and scalable, with data-to-overhead ratios increasing logarithmically with membership levels. DVMRP also had less than 70 ms of average end- to-end delay, providing stable transmissions at high loading and membership levels. Due to the fact that system performance metric values varied as a function of protocol, system design objectives must be considered when choosing a protocol for implementation.