A unifying methodology for handovers of heterogeneous connections in wireless ATM networks

Abstract

The aim of Wireless ATM is to provide multi-media services to mobile users. While existing research on Wireless ATM are focussed on handovers of unicast connections, handovers of multicast connections have not been investigated. While conventional multicast join and leave operations occur over the same path, this is not the case during mobile host migrations in a Wireless ATM network. In this paper, we reveal how handovers of multicast connections can be achieved in a manner irrespective of whether these multicast trees are source-, server- or core-based. More importantly, we demonstrate how the enhanced hybrid handover protocol incorporating crossover switch discovery can be used to support handovers of heterogeneous (i.e., unicast and multicast) connections in a uniform and unified manner, for Wireless ATM LANs employing either the centralised or distributed connection management scheme.