Maximum-Lifetime Coding Tree for Multicast in Lossy Wireless Networks

The multicast lifetime maximization (MLM) problem has been extensively studied due to its significance to applications in energy-constrained networks. However, most of the existing solutions hold an unrealistic assumption that the wireless transmission channels are perfect or adopt an inaccurate model to describe the channel quality. In this paper, we reconsider the MLM problem in lossy wireless networks with AWGN channel and Rayleigh fading channel. We find that MLM problem using network coding can be formulated as a min-max tree problem, in which the link weight of the tree only relates to the initial battery capacity, transmission distance and environment noise. Such finding leads to an optimal solution to the MLM problem with polynomial time complexity.