The Adhoc Multicast Routing Protocol (AMRoute) presents a novelapproach for robust IP Multicast in mobile adhoc networks by exploiting user-multicast trees and dynamic logical cores. It creates a bi-directional, shared tree for data distribution using only group senders and receivers as tree nodes.

Unicast tunnels are used as tree links to connect neighbors on theuser-multicast tree. Thus, AMRoute does not need to besupported by network nodes that are not interested/capable ofmulticast, and group state cost is incurred only by group senders and receivers. Also, the use of tunnels as tree links implies that tree structure does not need to change even in case of a dynamic network topology, which reduces the signaling traffic and packet loss. Thus AMRoute does not need to track network dynamics; the underlying unicast protocol is solely responsible for this function.

AMRoute does not require a specific unicast routing protocol; therefore, it can operate seamlessly over separate domains with different unicast protocols.

Certain tree nodes are designated by AMRoute as logical cores, and are responsible for initiating and managing the signaling component of AMRoute, such as detection of group members and tree setup. Logical cores differ significantly from those in CBT and PIM-SM, since they are not a central point for data distribution and can migrate dynamically among member nodes.

Simulation results demonstrate that AMRoute signaling traffic and join latency remain at relatively low levels for typical group sizes. The results also indicate that group members receive a high proportion of data multicast by a sender, even in the case of a dynamic network.