REHASH: integrating recursive unicast with Hash algorithm to provide multicast service to receivers

A new protocol called REHASH has been devised in this paper that gracefully integrates the idea of recursive unicast with Hash algorithm to achieve scalable multicast for overall performance improvement. In this model, data packets have unicast destination addresses. Therefore, REHASH supports pure unicast routers transparently. The key idea of the proposed protocol is to simplify address allocation and implement multicast distribution using recursive unicast Hash trees. The branching nodes recursively create packet copies to implement the distribution. REHASH adopts the source-specific channel abstraction to tackle the address allocation and the sender access control problems. Consequently, it provides best routes and is suitable for including QoS and authentication parameters inside Hash tree construction algorithm. Additionally, REHASH tree management provides enhanced tree stability in the presence of group dynamics.