A Novel Multicast Routing Protocol for Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks

We present a novel approach multicast routing protocol using Ant Colony Optimization and Cross Layer Technique. This protocol is an enhancement of the existing on-demand multicast routing protocol (ODMRP). Establishing communication through portable devices without any central infrastructure is possible in Ad-hoc networks. This feature of the absence of a central infrastructure and the random mobility of the devices give rise to multiple problems involving in security and routing. The challenges encountered by these multicast routing protocols are to provide a secured and efficient routing in these networks. In this paper we intend to present a novel approach of on-demand multicast routing protocol using Ant Colony Optimization and Cross Layer Technique. With this enhanced feature of cross layer technique and by applying ant colony optimization the proposed protocol performs more efficient with minimal overhead. The performance levels of the proposed algorithm at higher traffic load in comparison to the existing algorithms are evident from the simulations performed using NS-2.