A novel ring-tree-based routing and wavelength assignment algorithm for multicasting in DWDM optical mesh networks

Multicast session communications, such as video-conferencing and video-broadcasting, in DWDM mesh networks require the efficient multipoint-to-multipoint multicast algorithms. Several heuristics have approximate solutions using lightpath or light-tree for one-to-multipoint multicast communications, but few papers have discussed the multipoint-to-multipoint multicast problems in DWDM mesh networks. This paper proposes a ring-tree-based routing and wavelength assignment (RTRWA) solution in DWDM mesh networks. It proceeds to multipoint-to-multipoint multicast transmission by reserving links and wavelengths assigned by the Least Converter Count algorithm. The RTRWA algorithm tries to find an optimal ring path that connects all multicast session members with unidirectional links and connects the remaining nodes to the ring path with the light-tree. The RTRWA algorithm outperforms the Steiner minimal tree (SMT) algorithm in terms of the call blocking probability, difference in user capacity and the mean maximum transmission time.