Mobile multicast support in IP networks

IP multicast is an efficient means of sending to a group. Our protocol is built on top of the existing static hosts IP unicast and multicast forwarding services to avoid triangle routing which always occurs in Mobile IP. Relying only on the existing multicast service model and reconstructing the delivery tree every time a multicast member and/or source moves is not always a good solution. By applying the ideas of bi-directional tunneled multicast, our protocol attempts to hide host mobility from all other members of the group. Therefore, the multicast distribution tree will not be updated for the sake of member location change. Furthermore, our protocol has near shortest delivery paths like the remote subscription protocol. Our protocol can also adapt to the fluctuation of both host movement and the number of mobile members (i.e., having mobility and scalability properties).