Call scheduling algorithms in a multicast switch

Multicast switching is emerging as a new switching technology that can provide efficient transport in a broadband network for video and other multipoint communication services. The authors develop and analyze call scheduling algorithms for a multicast switch. In particular, they examine two general classes of scheduling algorithms: call packing algorithms and call splitting algorithms. The performance improvement by the call packing algorithms examined is shown to be negligible. In contrast, the call splitting algorithms can provide significantly lower blocking by reducing the level of output port contention. However, excessive call splitting could degrade performance because of the additional load introduced to the input ports. The authors present a simple call splitting algorithm called greedy splitting which achieves near-optimal performance