Multiple destination routing algorithms

With the arrival of B-ISDN, point-to-point routing alone is no longer adequate. A new class of computer and video related services, such as mass mailing, TV broadcasting, teleconferencing, and video 900 service, requires the network to handle multiple destination routing (MDR). Multiple destination routing enables widespread usage of multipoint services at a lower cost than networks using point-to-point routing. With this in mind, network providers are researching more into MDR algorithms. However, the MDR problem itself is very complex. Furthermore, its optimal solution, the Steiner tree problem, is NP-complete and thus not suitable for real-time applications. Recently, various algorithms which approximate the Steiner tree problem have been proposed and, in this invited paper, we will summarize the simulation results of these algorithms. But first, we will define the MDR problem, the issues involved, and the benchmark used to compare MDR algorithms. Then, we will categorize the existing MDR algorithms into a five-level classification tree. Lastly, we will present various published results of static algorithms and our own simulation results of quasi-static algorithms.