초록 ▼

In a multicast capable IP network implemented over an ATM network, each client terminal on a multimedia conference, for each media type it transmits, is assigned a multicast IP address and a port number (together known as a socket) on which to transmit packets, wherein each assigned multicast IP add

In a multicast capable IP network implemented over an ATM network, each client terminal on a multimedia conference, for each media type it transmits, is assigned a multicast IP address and a port number (together known as a socket) on which to transmit packets, wherein each assigned multicast IP address is unique and different than the multicast IP address assigned to any other client for any media type. Each client terminal then selects, for each media type, which clients on the conference it wants to receive packets from. Only packets that are in fact requested by a client are routed over the multicast IP network to the requesting client. A single special purpose Multicast Address Resolution System (MARS) server is associated with the conference when the conference is established. Each client terminal uses that MARS server, whether on the same or different IP sub-networks, but on a common ATM network, for purposes of mapping the multicast IP addresses used in the conference into a set of unicast ATM endpoint addresses used by the ATM-connected client terminals. Similarly, when a specific conference uses a Multicast Server, a single special purpose Multicast Server is used for all clients on the conference, whether on the same or different IP sub-networks, for purposes of establishing point-to-multipoint ATM connections to the conference endpoints.

대표청구항 ▼

[ The invention claimed is:] [1.] In a multicast capable IP network comprising plural IP sub-networks implemented over a common switched virtual circuit in which, during a multimedia conference, at least one of a plurality of clients in the multimedia conference, at an associated unicast endpoint ad

[ The invention claimed is:] [1.] In a multicast capable IP network comprising plural IP sub-networks implemented over a common switched virtual circuit in which, during a multimedia conference, at least one of a plurality of clients in the multimedia conference, at an associated unicast endpoint address, transmits packets for multicast transmission to at least some of the plurality of clients in the multimedia conference at their respective unicast endpoint addresses using multicast IP addresses, a method comprising:assigning a server connected to the network for use during the multimedia conference for managing mapping between the multicast IP addresses, to which said at least one of said plurality of clients transmits packets, and the unicast endpoint addresses of each of the at least some of the plurality of clients receiving such transmitted packets, whereinthe packets are packets of plural media types, at least one of the plurality of clients selects one or more of the plural media types that the at least one client chooses to receive from the other of the plurality of clients in the multimedia conference, and wherein only packets of the selected one or more of the plural media types are transmitted to the at least one client; andassigning to each of the plurality of clients in the multimedia conference, for each media type, a different unique multicast IP address on which to transmit packets when each of the plurality of clients joins the multimedia conference.