Multicast routing with resource reservation

Abstract

The integrated services Internet architecture introduces the need for receiver‐initiated multicast routing of flows with heterogeneous resource requirements. Multicast routing with resource reservation, however, raises many issues. First, there is a scalability problem; straightforward decentralized implementations of Steiner heuristics require complete information on resource allocation for each multicast flow at every router. This is in addition to the basic scalability concerns with Internet multicasting when dealing with large and dynamic groups. Second, there is an efficiency issue; receiver‐initiated, decentralized multicast routing may lead to inefficient resource allocation if not properly designed. Third, there is a potential for incorrect operation when multicast delivery paths are constructed in an uncoordinated manner. Finally, the integration of the resource reservation model with multicast routing is an issue. This paper describes these problems and proposes solutions that address them, based on decentralized implementations of a new heuristic. Detailed analyses of the proposed schemes using simulations indicate good performance and acceptable overheads.