Performance Evaluation and Comparison of Multicast Feedback Control Mechanisms

In reliable multicast applications, packet loss needs to be reported by having group members send feedback messages. This results in the well-known feedback implosion problem. The available feedback control mechanisms can be classified as timer based, hierarchy based, and router assisted, among which the timer-based approach is more preferable due to its simplicity and flexibility. This article compares a set of feedback suppression schemes—namely, the traditional timer-based feedback control and a combination of the traditional timers and some representatives. The authors analyze the performance of these schemes in standard star and chain topologies and then evaluate them using more realistic network topology through simulation studies. They investigate how the use of representatives and deterministic timers improves feedback control performance.