An Effective Load-Balancing Approach for Multicast IPTV Traffic in Multihoming Networks

Abstract

Traditional multicast streams are typically sent using unicast routing plans, which follow a single path or, at best, multiple paths of the same cost. However, this method is not efficient for modern networks with various access points. To improve this, we propose a new approach that combines multipath and multicast streams with a load-balancing model. This method aims to enhance multicast traffic transmission in a multipath environment. Our approach separates the Control Plan (CP) from the User Plan (UP). The CP uses Multipath TCP functions, while the UP handles IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) packets, which can be either TCP or UDP. This separation allows for better load distribution, bandwidth conservation, and balanced traffic across available paths. Real-world tests show that all multicast substreams can be smoothly transferred across the network evenly divided and routed through suitable paths whether symmetrical or asymmetrical scénario. Thus, the results of tests on the main performance and reliability parameters such as bandwidth utilization, cross traffic and delay, prove the algorithm's proactivity and responsiveness to network conditions and validate the effectiveness of our approach. In summary, using multicast in multipath TCP networks improves the streaming experience for end users.