Abstract—In this paper, we propose and analyze a multicastapplication called SOMA (SynchrOnous Multicast Application)which offers multicast file transfer service in an asymmetricintra-campus environment (several interconnectedwired and wireless LAN networks interconnected throughfew routers).For efficient bandwidth utilization, SOMA transmits IPpackets by using multicast addressing. We also propose acomplete multicast transport protocol involving both, theflow and error correction algorithms. The protocol adaptsthe window size and the overall application transfer bitrateto the minimum network capacity, allowing synchronismand reacting quickly when congestion arises at any networkrouter.The application behavior has been tested by simulation ina mixture of wired and wireless intra-campus networks, andintensively studied by experimentation in an intra-campusenvironment composed of a wired Fast Ethernet and awireless 802.11b Ethernet connected through an AccessPoint router. In addition, we develop a mathematicalmodel to validate analytically the most important protocolparameters. The methodology employed to define, analyzeand evaluate this multicast protocol is, indeed, anothercontribution of the work and can be easily extended toother multicast protocols.

Keywords: Multicast, flow and congestion control,transport protocol.

Cite: Pilar Manzanares-Lopez, Juan Carlos Sanchez-Aarnoutse, "A Multicast Transport Protocol Design Methodology: Analysis, Implementation and Performance Evaluation," Journal of Communications, vol. 1, no. 5, pp. 39-49, 2006.