Integrating Multicasting and Hash Algorithm

 to Support Host Mobility

Sahar Al-Talib, Borhanuddin Mohd Ali, and Sabira KhatunDepartment of Communication and Networking System, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia 

Abstract: This paper explains a framework that has been proposed to construct a dynamic delivery tree for the Mobile Node (MN) movement in a mobile IPv6 network. The branches of the tree constitute the shortest paths from the packet source to each of the visited locations. The tree is dynamic so that the branches grow and shrink to reach the MN when necessary. This architecture is multicast-based, in which a mobile node is assigned a multicast address and the correspondent nodes send packets to that multicast group. As the mobile node moves to a new location, it joins the multicast group through the new location and prunes through the old location. Hash Algorithm has been implemented as a mechanism for the MN to join and leave a multicast group. Dynamics of the multicast tree provide for smooth handoff, efficient routing and conservation of network bandwidth. To allow a smooth handoff, the MN should not prune the old location until it starts receiving packets from the new location. The performance of the proposed mechanism was evaluated through a simulation model built for this purpose. The simulation results showed that the dynamics of joining and leaving the group directly affect handoff latency and smoothness, as a result it conserved Radio Frequency (RF) bandwidth.

Key words: Mobile IPv6, multicast group, hash algorithm, handover. 

Received July 27, 2004; accepted December 28, 2004