A Model-Based Scalable Reliable Multicast Transport Protocol for Wireless/Mobile Networks

In this paper, we propose the design of a scalable reliable mobile multicast scheme—SRMoM. SRMoM uses well-known Scalable Reliable Multicast (SRM) in the wired networks and a NAK-based ARQ with adaptive Forward Error Correction (AFEC) in the wireless networks. In AFEC, the probability of needing retransmission of original multicast packets after FEC recovery is selectable. This selective property enables the control of channel utilization in the wireless segment for different numbers of Mobile Hosts (MHs). Using this property, the channel utilization of SRMoM is made to be virtually independent of the number of MHs, thus making it extremely scalable. The performance of SRMoM is analyzed with three adaptive FEC algorithms based on three wireless loss models, namely a Gilbert-Elliott channel, a simplified Gilbert-Elliott channel, and a binary symmetric channel, analytically as well as through simulation. Furthermore, the performance of SRMoM is compared with SRM and MRMoM (NAK-based protocol without FEC) through simulation. Using the average number of transmissions per original multicast packet, and wireless link utilization as metrics, we demonstrate that the performance of SRMoM is indeed virtually independent of the number of MHs, and that it results in the lowest number of packet transmissions and lowest channel utilization of reliable mobile multicast protocols that have been proposed to date. key words: reliable multicast, FEC, mobile multicast