Multicast communication system

• US 20030147392A1
• Filed: 01/13/2003
• Published: 08/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
• Inventors: Takahara, Atsushi, Sato, Takako, Hayashi, Tsunemasa, Ando, Daisuke
• Granted Patent: US 7,305,010 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/390
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/16 Multipoint routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/325 in the network layer [OSI layer 3], e.g. X.25 H04L69/16 takes precedence

Abstract

In order to make the client host capable of learning an accounting information or an authentication failure information, the accounting information or the authentication failure reason is notified from the routing device 2 to the client host 3, by adding an information regarding the accounting or an information regarding a reason for the authentication failure of the client host 3, to a packet of a protocol based on IGMP or MLD which is a multicast control packet between the client host 3 and the router device 2.

Claims

1. In a multicast communication system having a routing device connected to a network and one or more client hosts connected to the network through this routing device, and in which

each one of the one or more client hosts includes request means for transmitting a multicast control packet for requesting joining or leaving a multicast group, to the routing device, and

the routing device includes delivery means for receiving multicast data to which a specific address is assigned for each multicast group, and delivering it to client hosts participating in that multicast group,

the multicast communication system characterized in that

the routing device includes means for notifying a client host by using a network layer protocol, by adding an information indicating an accounting start to a multicast control packet, when multicast data to be delivered is accounting target and the client host starts to receive the multicast data that are accounting target, and

each one of the one or more client hosts includes means for recognizing an accounting start from the multicast control packet by using the network layer protocol.

2. The multicast communication system as described in claim 1, characterized in that the network layer protocol is a protocol based on IGMP (Internal Group Management Protocol) or MLD (Multicast Listener Discovery).

3. In a multicast communication system having a routing device connected to a network and one or more client hosts connected to the network through this routing device, and in which

each one of the one or more client hosts includes means for transmitting a multicast control packet to which an information for identifying a multicast group and a client information for identifying itself are added, in order to request joining to the multicast group which requires authentication, to the routing device, and

the routing device includes delivery means for receiving multicast data to which a specific address is assigned for each multicast group, and delivering it to client hosts participating in that multicast group,

the multicast communication system characterized in that

the routing device includes means for notifying a corresponding client host by using a network layer protocol, when the authentication fails as a result of carrying out the authentication of a client host in response to the multicast control packet for requesting joining to the multicast group that requires the authentication from each client host, by adding an information indicating its reason to a multicast control packet, and

each one of the one or more client hosts includes means for recognizing a reason for an authentication failure from the multicast control packet by using the network layer protocol.

4. The multicast communication system as described in claim 3, characterized in that the network layer protocol is a protocol based on IGMP (Internal Group Management Protocol) or MLD (Multicast Listener Discovery).

5. In a multicast communication system having a routing device connected to a network and one or more client hosts connected to the network through this routing device, and in which

each one of the one or more client hosts includes request means for transmitting a multicast control packet for requesting joining or leaving a multicast group, to the routing device, and

the routing device includes delivery means for receiving multicast data to which a specific address is assigned for each multicast group, and delivering it to client hosts participating in that multicast group,

the multicast communication system characterized in that

each one of the one or more client hosts includes means for transmitting a multicast control packet by adding an information for requesting an information on a fee charged for received multicast data, to the routing device by using a network layer protocol,

the routing device includes means for returning a multicast control packet to which an accounting information by an accounting processing to be carried out when multicast data to be delivered is an accounting target is added, by using the network layer protocol, in response to the multicast control packet for requesting a fee information from a client host, and

each one of the one or more client hosts further includes means for recognizing an accounting information from a returned multicast control packet by using the network layer protocol.

6. The multicast communication system as described in claim 5, characterized in that the network layer protocol is a protocol based on IGMP (Internal Group Management Protocol) or MLD (Multicast Listener Discovery).

7. A client host device in a multicast communication system having a routing device connected to a network and one or more client hosts connected to the network through this routing device, the client host device characterized by including

request means for transmitting a multicast control packet for requesting joining or leaving a multicast group, to the routing device,

means for receiving multicast data which is delivered by the routing device to client hosts participating in a multicast group, as the routing device receives the multicast data to which a specific address is assigned for each multicast group from the network, and

means for recognizing an accounting start by using a network layer protocol from a multicast control packet that is notified by the routing device to a client host by using the network layer protocol, by adding an information indicating an accounting start to the multicast control packet, when multicast data to be delivered is accounting target and the client host starts to receive the multicast data that are accounting target.

8. A program for causing a computer product to function as the client host device as described in claim 7.

9. A recording medium on which the program as described in claim 8 is recorded.

10. A routing device in a multicast communication system having a routing device connected to a network and one or more client hosts connected to the network through this routing device, and in which

means for receiving a multicast control packet for requesting joining or leaving a multicast group, transmitted by each one of the one or more client hosts,

delivery means for receiving multicast data to which a specific address is assigned for each multicast group, and delivering it to client hosts participating in that multicast group, and

means for notifying a client host by using a network layer protocol, by adding an information indicating an accounting start to a multicast control packet, when multicast data to be delivered is accounting target and the client host starts to receive the multicast data that are accounting target.

11. A program for causing a computer product to function as the client host device as described in claim 10.

12. A recording medium on which the program as described in claim 11 is recorded.

13. A client host device in a multicast communication system having a routing device connected to a network and one or more client hosts connected to the network through this routing device, and in which

means for transmitting a multicast control packet to which an information for identifying a multicast group and a client information for identifying itself are added, in order to request Joining to the multicast group which requires authentication, to the routing device,

means for receiving multicast data which is delivered by the routing device to client hosts participating in a multicast group, as the routing device receives the multicast data to which a specific address is assigned for each multicast group from the network, and

means for recognizing a reason for an authentication failure from the multicast control packet by using the network layer protocol which is notified by the routing device to a corresponding client host by using a network layer protocol, when the authentication fails as a result of carrying out the authentication of a client host in response to the multicast control packet for requesting joining to the multicast group that requires the authentication from each client host, by adding an information indicating its reason to the multicast control packet.

14. A program for causing a computer product to function as the client host device as described in claim 13.

15. A recording medium on which the program as described in claim 14 is recorded.

16. A routing device in a multicast communication system having a routing device connected to a network and one or more client hosts connected to the network through this routing device, and in which

means for receiving a multicast control packet to which an information for identifying a multicast group and a client information for identifying itself are added, in order to request joining to the multicast group which requires authentication, which is transmitted by each one of the one or more client hosts,

delivery means for receiving multicast data to which a specific address is assigned for each multicast group, and delivering it to client hosts participating in that multicast group, and

means for notifying a corresponding client host by using a network layer protocol, when the authentication fails as a result of carrying out the authentication of a client host in response to the multicast control packet for requesting joining to the multicast group that requires the authentication from each client host, by adding an information indicating its reason to a multicast control packet.

17. A program for causing a computer product to function as the client host device as described in claim 16.

18. A recording medium on which the program as described in claim 17 is recorded.

19. A client host device in a multicast communication system having a routing device connected to a network and one or more client hosts connected to the network through this routing device, and in which

request means for transmitting a multicast control packet for requesting joining or leaving a multicast group, to the routing device, and

means for receiving multicast data which is delivered by the routing device to client hosts participating in a multicast group, as the routing device receives the multicast data to which a specific address is assigned for each multicast group from the network, and

means for transmitting a multicast control packet by adding an information for requesting an information on a fee charged for received multicast data, to the routing device by using a network layer protocol, and

means for recognizing an accounting information from a returned multicast control packet by using the network layer protocol, where the returned multicast control packet is added with an accounting information by an accounting processing to be carried out when the multicast data to be delivered is an accounting target, by using the network layer protocol, in response to the multicast control packet for requesting a fee information from a client host.

20. A program for causing a computer product to function as the client host device as described in claim 19.

21. A recording medium on which the program as described in claim 20 is recorded.

22. A routing device in a multicast communication system having a routing device connected to a network and one or more client hosts connected to the network through this routing device, and in which

means for receiving a multicast control packet for requesting joining or leaving a multicast group, which is transmitted by each one of the one or more client hosts,

delivery means for receiving multicast data to which a specific address is assigned for each multicast group, and delivering it to client hosts participating in that multicast group,

means for receiving a multicast control packet that is transmitted by each one of the one or more client hosts by adding an information for requesting an information on a fee charged for received multicast data, by using a network layer protocol,

means for returning a multicast control packet to which an accounting information by an accounting processing to be carried out when multicast data to be delivered is an accounting target is added, by using the network layer protocol, in response to the multicast control packet for requesting a fee information from a client host.

23. A program for causing a computer product to function as the client host device as described in claim 22.

24. A recording medium on which the program as described in claim 23 is recorded.