A fast hybrid algorithm for multicast routing in wireless networks

This paper tackles the issue of constrained multicast routing in wireless networks using a hybrid soft computing-based algorithm. Recent developments in multimedia applications and the dynamic and rapidly changed environment of the wireless networks make the constrained multicast routing a real challenge. The problem can be formulated as minimizing a multicast tree cost under several constraints or Quality of Service (QoS) metrics. This problem has been proven to be NP-complete. The proposed hybrid algorithm is based on a population based incremental learning algorithm that combines in an efficient way the features of genetic algorithms and competitive learning. Experimental results show that, in most cases, the proposed algorithm yields better solutions than other heuristic algorithms proposed in the literature.