Robust reliability-aware buffer management for DTN multicast in disaster scenarios

When considering disaster scenarios, reliable communication can save hundreds of lives. Due to destroyed infrastructure, Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs) might be the only option for communication in such scenarios. However, such MANETs get partitioned frequently due to node movements resulting in intermittent connectivity. Delay Tolerant Networks (DTNs) are suitable to handle this. With the help of DTNs, rescue teams can exchange information including multicast messages to all team members. The major challenge is to ensure that all team members or intended recipients receive a DTN multicast message. Several problems need to be solved for that, among which we consider the identification of the recipients and the limited resources of the nodes. In this paper, we present an extension of our protocol that enhances our existing buffer management approach and combines it with a configurable delivery ratio which should be reached. This configurable ratio is used to prioritize multicast messages and thus enhance their delivery probability. Besides that, we added a mechanism to selectively deliver the messages based on group membership intervals. Our simulation results show that this approach can ensure a higher delivery ratio for multicast messages in disaster scenarios.