446 results about "Multicast network" patented technology

The invention relates to a system and method for efficiently distributing multicast messages within computer networks configured to have one or more virtual local area network (VLAN) domains. A multicast network device (MND), having a plurality of interfaces, includes a multicast controller for efficiently distributing multicast messages among subscribing entities associated with various VLAN domains. The multicast controller, which is in communicating relationship with the interfaces, includes a VLAN assignment engine for assigning responsibility for the VLAN domains to the extent there are multiple MNDs. The multicast controller also accesses a multicast tag source to establish a plurality of novel VLAN tags for efficiently distributing multicast messages, including a sub-regional Multicast VLAN Identifier (MVLAN-ID) that encompasses all of the VLAN domains for which the respective MND is responsible, and one or more color-limited MVLAN-IDs that encompass all of the VLAN domains for which the MND is responsible except for one. The multicast controller then tags multicast messages with its sub-regional or a color-limited MVLAN-ID depending on whether the message is considered internal or external by the respective MND. The tagged messages are then forwarded for distribution to the subscribers associated with the various VLAN domains.

A method and system for Mobile Internet Protocol (IP) device redundancy. As mobile devices roam away from a home network and change a connective status, mobility binding records are sent to a multicast network address on the home network. The multicast network address multicasts the mobility binding records to other active Mobile IP home agent control nodes, standby home agent control nodes and standby home agents on the home network. The method and system allows standby home agent control nodes or standby home agents to be transparently switched for active home agent control nodes or active home agents that fail without downloading or uploading large numbers of mobility binding records after a failure. The method and system may also help reduce failed calls (e.g., data sessions including Voice over IP (VoIP), H.323, etc.), network congestion and improve user satisfaction in Mobile IP systems.

A multicast network system is provided with a multicast network unit that delivers data between independent multicast network domains. The multicast network unit includes an extraction part for extracting a multicast delivery destination address from received data, a holder part for holding conversion data where the multicast delivery destination address corresponds to a delivery source address, and a judgment part for judging whether the multicast delivery destination address is held and outputting the result of a judgment. The multicast network unit also includes a filtering part which, when the result of the judgment is holding, converts the multicast delivery source address to an arbitrary delivery destination address and, when it is non-holding, discards the received data. The multicast network unit further includes a transmitter part for transmitting data containing the converted multicast address to the domain.

Unicast endpoint clients (110, 111, 115) on an IP Unicast network (107, 108) are provided access to Multicast sessions on an IP Multicast network (101) through a Multicast-Unicast gateway server (120, 121). The server obtains information about sessions on the Multicast network and makes such information available to a Unicast client on the Unicast network upon request by the client. Upon being presented with a list describing the subject matter of each session, the user at the Unicast client selects the session to which he or she wants to join, which causes the Multicast-Unicast server to join the appropriate session on behalf of the requesting client for each media type in which the joining client wants to be a participant. The server then sets a bi-directional Unicast User Datagram Protocol (UDP) stream between itself and the client. All packets then received by the server from the Unicast client are address-translated to the appropriate Multicast session address. In addition, all packets received by the server on the Multicast session address are address-translated and sent to the Unicast client. The Unicast client is then able to participate in the Multicast session as both a sender and a receiver of packets to and from other Unicast and Multicast clients which are active during the session. Further, the Unicast client is capable of creating a new session, recording a session in the network for later retrieval and playback, and creating and accessing low bandwidth versions of existing sessions.

A multimedia compression system for generating frame rate scaleable data in the case of universally scaleable data. Universally scaleable data is scaleable across all of the relevant characteristics of the data (e.g., frame rate, resolution, and quality for video). The scaleable data generated by the compression system includes multiple additive layers for each characteristic across which the data is scaleable. For video, the frame rate layers are additive temporal layers, the resolution layers are additive base and enhancement layers, and the quality layers are additive index planes of embedded codes. Various techniques can be used for generating these layers (e.g., Laplacian pyramid decomposition or wavelet decomposition for generating the resolution layers; tree structured vector quantization or tree structured scalar quantization for generating the quality layers). The system further provides for embedded inter-frame compression in the context of frame rate scalability, and non-redundant layered multicast network delivery of the scaleable data.

Improved algorithms are provided for performing path management for a plurality of select data transmission sessions in a multicast network. The algorithms include: constructing a weighted graph which represents topology of the network; assigning load correlated costs to network links; and computing least cost paths for each of the data transmission sessions which accounts for global bandwidth utilization.

Conventional anycast networks provide a service which allows a sender to access the nearest of a group of receivers sharing a common anycast address. In contrast thereto, multicast networks establish data communications between a sender and all receivers confined by a group having the same multicast address. Thus, the networks providing both anycast and multicast routing only allow for accesses by a sender to one receiver being specified according to the employed anycast protocol or to a plurality of receivers forming a multicast group. In order to provide accesses by a sender to a specified number of nearest receivers, the present invention provides a method and a system for multiple hosts anycast routing in a network. An indicator specifying the number of nearest receivers to be set up for data communications with a sender is included in an anycast address or associated thereto as an extension. On the basis of the indicator, a corresponding number of anycast members of an anycast group identified by the anycast address are contacted/allocated for data communications with the sender.

Disclosed is a multicast network system including a multicast network which provides a plurality of relay nodes, and a monitoring server and a plurality of acknowledgment agents connected to the multicast network. The monitoring server includes an acknowledgment request message generating and sending unit that generates and sends an acknowledgment request message storing an acknowledgment probability to the plurality of acknowledgment agents; a collecting unit that collects acknowledgment messages from acknowledgment agents; and a collection number comparing unit that compares the number of acknowledgment messages collected by the acknowledgment message collecting unit with the expected number of acknowledgment messages obtained from the acknowledgment probability and the total number of acknowledgment agents. The acknowledgment agent has an acknowledgment message sending unit that determines whether an acknowledgment is needed for the acknowledgment request message based on the acknowledgment probability stored in the acknowledgment request message to send an acknowledgment message.

Unicast endpoint clients (110, 111, 115) on an IP Unicast network (107, 108) are provided access to Multicast sessions on an IP Multicast network (101) through a Multicast-Unicast gateway server (120, 121). The server obtains information about sessions on the Multicast network and makes such information available to a Unicast client on the Unicast network upon request by the client. Upon being presented with a list describing the subject matter of each session, the user at the Unicast client selects the session to which he or she wants to join, which causes the Multicast-Unicast server to join the appropriate session on behalf of the requesting client for each media type in which the joining client wants to be a participant. The server then sets a bi-directional Unicast User Datagram Protocol (UDP) stream between itself and the client. All packets then received by the server from the Unicast client are address-translated to the appropriate Multicast session address. In addition, all packets received by the server on the Multicast session address are address-translated and sent to the Unicast client. The Unicast client is then able to participate in the Multicast session as both a sender and a receiver of packets to and from other Unicast and Multicast clients which are active during the session. Further, the Unicast client is capable of creating a new session, recording a session in the network for later retrieval and playback, and creating and accessing low bandwidth versions of existing sessions.

The subject technology addresses the need in the art for improving utilization of network bandwidth in a multicast network environment. More specifically, the disclosed technology addresses the need in the art for extending multipathing to tenant multicast traffic in an IP overlay network, which enables the network to fully utilize available bandwidth for multicast traffic. In some examples, nodes in the overlay network may be connected by virtual or logical links, each of which corresponds to a path, perhaps through many physical links, in the underlying network.

A data transmission method transmits data to a group of receiving communication devices in a communication system comprising at least one cellular network. The method includes defining, by an application server situated beyond a cellular network, a group of receiving communication devices in the cellular network, the application server having no visibility to locations of receiving devices in the cellular network. The method also includes receiving, in a broadcast/multicast network entity configured to provide broadcast and multicast services in the cellular network, data to be transmitted from the application server to the group. The method also includes transmitting the data from the broadcast/multicast network entity to the group using broadcast and/or multicast transmission. Furthermore, a network entity in a cellular network and a communication system are provided configured to implement the method.

The present invention provides a multicast source control method, which comprises: creating multicast source authentication information; a management platform of the multicast source authentication information dynamically updating said multicast source authentication information in accordance with restriction on multicast source; controlling multicast message sent from the multicast source in accordance with said multicast source authentication information. The present invention also provides a multicast source control system comprising a master multicast source authentication server, a group of slave multicast source authentication servers, and a predefined node. With the present invention, multicast sources can be performed a control management at the earliest time through initiating authentication requests for multicast sources by the predefined node; the network terminal resources are saved through deploying hierarchical distributed multicast source authentication servers to manage different multicast address fields; without manual intervention, the master and slave multicast source authentication servers interact for authentication information periodically and in real time, such that automatic and real time management of multicast sources can be implemented; and thereby the object of reducing management and maintenance cost as well as improving manageability and operability of the multicast network is attained.

An apparatus for calculating a cost of receiving multicast data from a multicast session. A multicast network includes at least one multicast service, each multicast service including at least one multicast session. The apparatus receives a request to establish a connection to the multicast session, stores a start time for the connection and an end time for the connection and, after termination of the connection, calculates the cost of receiving the multicast data The apparatus can receive a subsequent request to extend the connection, the subsequent request specifying a new end time for the connection, and store the new end time for the connection. Alternatively, the apparatus can receive a subsequent request to terminate the connection, the subsequent request specifying a new end time that precedes the end time for the connection, and store the new end time for the connection.

A system, device, and method for receiver access control in a multicast communication network treats each subscriber location as a separate subnetwork having one and only one multicast receiver. An access device is situated at each subscriber location. Each access device connects to a separate port of a multicast distribution device. Each subscriber device accesses the multicast network through the access device that is situated at its subscriber location. Each access device acts as a proxy for its respective subscriber devices by joining and leaving multicast groups on behalf of the subscriber devices and acting as the sole multicast receiver for the subscriber location. The access devices run a multicast group management protocol for joining and leaving various multicast groups, and therefore the access devices appear to the multicast distribution device as the ultimate multicast receivers for multicast information. The access devices maintain group membership information their respective subscriber devices and distribute multicast information to their respective subscriber devices accordingly.

An extension to the ISO Base Media File Format to support ALC as a broadcast protocol. The present invention also provides for the extension of the ESG to include metadata specific to the transport of SVG over mobile broadcast/multicast networks. A “BMFDP hint track” is introduced in the container file format, with the required file metadata being in these hint tracks. The present invention can be used in applications such as the preview of long cartoon animations, interactive Mobile TV services, live enterprise data feeds, live chat services, and karaoke programs.

A multicast network device, such as a route may support a plurality of multicast routing protocols. A single multicast routing table may be provided to store the multicast routes for each multicast routing protocol and a selected set of unicast routes from a unicast routing table. In order to synchronize route changes in the multicast routing table with the plurality of multicast routing protocols, a route ID value is assigned to each route in the multicast routing table. Each multicast routing protocol is assigned a bookmark in a route change queue, where the bookmark is assigned the route ID value of the last route processed by the multicast routing protocol. When a route is changed, the route is assigned a new route ID value and stored in the route change queue. A multicast routing protocol may determine if a route change has occurred by comparing its bookmark to the highest route ID value in the route change queue.