Uncapacitated point-to-multipoint network flow problem and its application to multicasting in telecommunication networks

Abstract

This paper introduces an. uncapacitated point-to-multipoint network flow problem where a convex arc cost and demand splitting is introduced. This problem arises from multicast routing in telecommunication networks such as the Internet Protocol network. Multiple tree routes are used to use the network resources efficiently. The proposed method adds extra tree routes until it satisfies the target conditions. This method splits the multicast traffic demand into the chosen tree routes. In this study, a mathematical model was developed and the conditions for traffic splitting were optimized. The convergence of the algorithm was obtained under monotonically increasing and strictly convex conditions on the arc cost function. A modified algorithm was proposed for a practical multicasting method. Various experiments were carried and the results show that the new multicasting method is fairly effective in improving the quality of service with only two or three multiple tree routes. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.