Aggregating Multicast Demands on Virtual Path Trees

In ATM networks, Virtual Path Connections (VPCs) are not only a device for bundling Virtual Circuit Connections (VCCs), but they serve as an intermediate resource management layer wherein tradeoffs between cost, complexity, and efficiency are likely to be made on a slower time scale than connection holding times. In this paper we consider bundling multicast connections on VP trees. In particular, we show that the aggregation of multicast demands onto large VP trees can be an effective way to reduce capacity requirements, balance network loads, and reduce the number of VP trees required.