Multicasting in sparse MANETs using message ferrying

Multicast is an essential service in mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs). Numerous protocols have been proposed but none of them is directly applicable in sparse MANETs, which are a form of disruption/delay tolerant networks (DTNs). In this paper, we consider multicasting in sparse MANETs with focus on two data dissemination schemes, epidemic routing (ER) and message ferrying (MF). With necessary group management schemes, both schemes can be extended for multicast. However, their performance is scenario-dependent. With this observation, a set of multicast protocols combining the essentials of MF and ER are proposed. In particular, we propose adaptive protocols targeting a balance between transmission efficiency and timely delivery in different scenarios. With simulations, we evaluate the performance of these protocols