Impact of MAP Selection on Handover Performance for Multimedia Services in Multi-Level HMIPv6 Networks

In order to improve the capacity and reliability of HMIPv6 networks, multi-level HMIPv6 (M-HMIPv6) networks were proposed. In such networks, there are multiple mobility anchor points (MAPs) above an access router (AR) which provides access to the Internet for the mobile nodes (MNs). The MN has to select a proper MAP using MAP selection schemes. The impact of MAP selection on handover performance of multimedia services for individual users, and on the overall performance of M-HMIPv6 networks is of great value in designing and evaluating MAP selection schemes. Unfortunately, the impact has little been studied. In this paper, we study this impact through both theoretical analysis and NS-2 simulation. In theoretical analysis, we formulate the impact of MAP selection on average handover delay (AHD) which is the most crucial measure for characterizing the handover performance of multimedia services. Then, we validate the theoretical analysis through extensive simulations using NS-2 simulator. The simulation results are consistent with the numerical results from theoretical analysis. The contribution of this paper can be applied to designing QoS guaranteed MAP selection schemes and handover optimization for multimedia services in HMIPv6 networks.