Time slot assignment in TDM multicast switching systems

The time slot assignment problem in time-division multiplexed switching systems which can support multicast transmissions is studied. It is shown that this problem is NP-complete, i.e., computationally intractable. Two effective heuristic algorithms are proposed, and computer simulations are also performed to evaluate the performance of both algorithms. The results of the simulations indicate that the solutions generated by these heuristic algorithms are very close to the optimal on the average. In addition, this problem is also examined under a more restrictive condition that the destination sets of any two multicast packets are either identical or disjoint, a situation often encountered in many practical applications. It is proved that this special problem is still NP-complete. Two fast heuristic algorithms are given, which can find solutions not greater than twice the optimal solution. Computer simulations for evaluating these two heuristic algorithms are also performed. Experimental results demonstrate that the solutions of the two algorithms are almost equal to the optimal