Protocol Independent Multicast: From Wired to Wireless Networks

Multicast operations across wireless networks have received much attention, involving network architectures that range from ad-hoc networks to structured multi-hop meshes layouts. The use for this purpose of the standard Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) protocol suite has been dismissed as non practical, or non feasible, noting that its straightforward application across wireless networks does not function properly. In this work, we analyze the reasons why PIM standard based implementations improperly interact when employed across wireless networks. We propose simple fixes that do not require modifications of the standard, but entail only minor modifications of the underlying implementation. We evaluate the Dense Mode version of PIM through its implementation in a network that is modeled by using the ns-3 simulation program. We present performance results that confirm the effective operation of the protocol, as well as identify the involved overhead levels, in mesh networks that employ fixed mesh routers and both fixed and mobile end-user/clients.