Multicast Update Distribution for Thin Client Networks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Updating multiple thin client devices over a network is a time-consuming and bandwidth-intensive process when using traditional unicast methods, especially when dealing with large numbers of devices, as it requires multiple simultaneous connections and can slow down device management tools and consume significant network resources.
Innovation Solution
Implementing multicasting to concurrently distribute updates to multiple client devices, allowing a single network transmission to reach many devices and enabling missed segments to be re-multicasted efficiently, reducing redundant transmissions and minimizing bandwidth usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If unicast method is used to update multiple client devices, then each device can receive the update individually, but the update process becomes very time-consuming and consumes large amounts of bandwidth when dealing with large numbers of devices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple unicast update transmissions into a single multicast transmission. Instead of sending separate update streams to each client device, the system combines all update deliveries into one consolidated multicast stream that reaches multiple devices simultaneously, dramatically reducing deployment time while maintaining reliable delivery through acknowledgment mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The update is divided into multiple segments that are transmitted via multicast. Each client device receives the segmented update and reassembles it locally. This segmentation allows parallel transmission to multiple devices while managing network bandwidth efficiently and enabling selective retransmission of only missing segments.
2Ease of operation
If unicast method is used to update multiple client devices, then each device can be updated individually, but the device management tool performance is slowed due to heavy load
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges multiple individual update operations into a single multicast operation, reducing the processing load on the device management tool. The tool initiates one multicast transmission instead of managing numerous simultaneous unicast connections, improving its performance and responsiveness while still enabling individual device update capabilities through the multicast mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
Client devices autonomously manage their own update reception and reassembly processes. Each device independently receives multicast segments, tracks which segments it has received, requests missing segments, and reassembles the complete update locally. This self-service approach eliminates the need for the device management tool to coordinate each individual update, significantly reducing its processing burden.
3Quantity of substance
If unicast method is used to update multiple client devices, then updates can be transferred to each device, but significant network bandwidth is consumed which impedes other network communications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple duplicate update transmissions into a single multicast stream. Instead of each device receiving a complete copy of the update via unicast, all devices receive one consolidated multicast stream containing the update segments. This eliminates redundant data transmission across the network, dramatically reducing bandwidth consumption while maintaining the ability to deliver complete updates to each device.
Solution Approach 2:
The update data is segmented into smaller units that can be efficiently transmitted via multicast. This segmentation enables the network to deliver the same data segments to multiple devices simultaneously without duplicating the entire update across multiple unicast connections, optimizing bandwidth utilization while ensuring complete update delivery to each client.
Data Source
AI summary
An update can be multicast to a number of client devices. By multicasting an update, the update can be concurrently distributed to a large number of client devices using a single network transmission. This greatly reduces the amount of time required to update the client devices as well as the amount of bandwidth that is required to transfer the update over the network. As part of this multicasting process, the client device, which may have missed a segment of the multicast, can request the missed segment. The missed segment can then also be multicast to eliminate or minimize the redundant transmission of the missed segment.