We consider the problem of data dissemination in a broad- cast network. In contrast to previously studied models, broadcasting
is among peers, rather than client server. Such a model represents, for example, satellite communication among widely distributed
nodes, sensor networks, and mobile ad-hoc networks. We introduce a cost model for data dissemination in peer to peer broadcast
networks. The model quantifies the tradeoff between the inconsistency of the data, and its transmission cost; the transmission
cost may be given in terms of dollars, energy, or bandwidth. Using the model we first determine the parameters for which eager
(i.e. consistent) replication has a lower cost than lazy (i.e. inconsistent) replication. Then we introduce a lazy broadcast
policy and compare it with several naive or traditional approaches to solving the problem.
This research was supported in part by Army Research Labs grant DAAL01-96-2- 0003, DARPA grant N66001-97-2-8901, NSF grants
CCR-9816633, CCR-9803974, IRI-9712967, EIA-0000516, and INT-9812325.
A Mobile Ad-hoc Network (MANET) is a system of mobile computers (or nodes) equipped with wireless broadcast transmitters and
receivers which are used for com- municating within the system. Such networks provide an attractive and inexpensive alternative
to the cellular infrastructures when this infrastructure is unavailable (e.g. in remote and disaster areas), or inefficient,
or too expensive to use. Mobile Ad-hoc Networks are used to communicate among the nodes of a military unit, in rescue and
disaster relief operations, in collaborative mobile data exchange (e.g the set of attendees at a conference), and other “micronetworking”
technologies ([14]).