Multicast transport protocols: Review and new trends

© 2011 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. IP multicast technology needs various components to offer adequate service to the multipoint communications. On one hand, the IGMP protocol (Internet Group Management Protocol) is in charge of establishing and managing multicast groups. On the other hand, multicast IP addressing (class D IP addresses) together with multicast routing protocols (such as DMRP, MOSPF or PIM) defin the network infrastructure required to allow for the distribution of multicast traffic However, for user applications to take the maximum advantage of IP-multicast technology, it is essential to use an adequate transport protocol. Most multicast transport protocols were designed to be used in multimedia applications, because the best results regarding performance are achieved through multicast technology. A review of the most interesting multicast transport protocols is thus presented. This chapter will also describe the lastest R&D achievements in the field such as the new Fountain codes, thanks to which techniques and algorithms required to implement loss recovery mechanisms in broadcast-multicast environments are being greatly simplified Codification of this sort (some of them available under GPL license) are in great demand for multicast streaming applications. On the other hand, IP-multicast technologies have not been widely accepted by Internet providers, partly because of the complexity of multicast group management (particularly its dynamism). However, IP-multicast technology can be very useful in smaller or more limited scenarios, as is the case of a few LAN networks-either wired or wireless-with various transmission capacities and features. This is the setting under which MUST (MUlticast Synchronous Transfer protocol) is introduced, a multicast transport protocol that fast and efficientl replicates a great amount of informastion.