초록 ▼

A endpoint client (111-1) on an IP Unicast network (107) that is provided access to a Multicast session on an IP Multicast network (101) through a Multicast-Unicast gateway server (MUS) (120) is enabled to re-Multicast that session to other endpoint clients (111-2) on the network to which it is conn

A endpoint client (111-1) on an IP Unicast network (107) that is provided access to a Multicast session on an IP Multicast network (101) through a Multicast-Unicast gateway server (MUS) (120) is enabled to re-Multicast that session to other endpoint clients (111-2) on the network to which it is connected or to endpoint clients (134, 135) on any Multicast-capable sub-network (132) to which it is directly connected. To act as a re-Multicaster, the endpoint client receiving Unicast-addressed packets from the session from the MUS, re-translates these Unicast-addressed packets to Multicast-addressed packets by translating the Unicast address in the distribution field of each packet's header into a Multicast address and overwriting the Unicast address in each header with the Multicast address. When an endpoint client on the same or connected sub-network as the re-Multicaster desires to join a session that is being re-Multicast, it needs only connect to that Multicast address. A endpoint client on a Unicast network can elect to be a re-Multicaster of packets from a session as long as that same session is not being re-Multicast by another endpoint client on any sub-network on which the electing re-Multicaster is connected or a Multicast router is not forwarding packets from the session onto the sub-network.

대표청구항 ▼

[ The invention claimed is:] [1.] A method of providing access to a Multicast session on a Multicast network to a requesting client connected to the same sub-network as a client on a Unicast network or to a Multicast-capable sub-network directly connected to the client on the Unicast network, the me

[ The invention claimed is:] [1.] A method of providing access to a Multicast session on a Multicast network to a requesting client connected to the same sub-network as a client on a Unicast network or to a Multicast-capable sub-network directly connected to the client on the Unicast network, the method comprising the steps of:receiving at a gateway server packets from the Multicast session on a Multicast address;re-addressing at the gateway server the Multicast address of the packets from the session to a Unicast address of the client on the Unicast network;sending the re-addressed packets to the client on the Unicast network;re-re-addressing the packets received by the client on the Unicast network with a Multicast address; andre-Multicasting the re-re-addressed packets to the requesting client.