Current State of Multicast Routing Protocols for Disruption Tolerant Networks: Survey and Open Issues

Abstract

The deployment of Internet of Things (IoT) applications in remote areas, such as environmental sensing areas, requires Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN) support due to the lack of continuous network connectivity. IoT devices in DTN generate and store data until a network link is available for data transmission. Data mules or ferries are scheduled to travel among intermittent networks to collect data and disseminate configuration updates from control centers to all participating nodes in a reliable manner. The incorporation of efficient, reliable multicast algorithms into DTN helps to overcome the current limitations in updating large numbers of nodes in remote areas with identical configurations. In this paper, the current state of multicast routing protocols in DTN is outlined according to their design aspects. Open issues are also discussed to provide impetus for further research into the Reliable Multicast DTN (RMDTN) protocol.