Mapping multicast service-oriented virtual networks with delay and delay variation constraints

As a key issue of building a virtual network (VN), the VN mapping problem can be addressed by various state-of-the-art algorithms. While these algorithms are efficient for the construction of unicast service-oriented VNs, they are generally not suitable for multicast cases. In this paper, we investigate the mapping problem in the context of virtual multicast service-oriented network subject to delay and delay variation constraints (VMNDDVC). We present a novel and efficient heuristic algorithm to tackle this problem based on a sliding window approach. The primary objective of this algorithm is in two-fold: to minimize the cost of VMNDDVC request mapping, and to achieve load balancing so as to increase the acceptance ratio of virtual multicast network (VMN) requests. The numerical results obtained from extensive simulation experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach and superiority than existing solutions in terms of VN mapping acceptance ratio, total revenue and cost in the long term.