A Sequential Algorithm for Constructing Delay-Constrained Multirings for Multipoint-to-Multipoint Communications

IP multicast is a packet distribution technology which allows efficient distribution of information to groups of users. In this paper, we propose a novel ring-based two-level hierarchical structure called a multiring. A multiring is a set of satellite subrings connecting subgroups of users interconnected by a backbone ring. It solves many problems such as ordering, scalability, delay and reliability. We give a mathematical formulation of the delay-constrained multiring construction problem and propose a solution method based on Lagrangean relaxation, which leads to the description of the Multiring Construction Algorithm (MCA). We propose approximate approaches to solve several subproblems in order to accelerate the convergence of the algorithm. We finally show that the multiring topology has many important features that improve network performance and simplify topology rearrangements.