IP Multicast for Optically Switched Networks

Abstract: New research perspectives opened up by the combination of IP and WDM technologies present an excellent opportunity for reformulating certain aspects of multicast transmission, bringing them more in line with the needs of future generations of IP internetworking. This paper analyses MIRROR, which proposes modifications to traditional IP Multicast in order to improve its scalability as a function of the number of simultaneously active groups, as well as making it more appropriate for use in optically switched networks. In this analysis, MIRROR is compared with other major multicast alternatives, using such parameters as: information state requirements and the costs of control information, packetforwarding and storing the distribution tree topology.