Method for multicasting a message on a computer network
First Claim
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1. A method for disseminating a message to nodes of a multicast group, the multicast group being organized into a tree-structured hierarchy, the method comprising:
- transmitting the multicast message from a node of the multicast group to a plurality of other nodes of the multicast group;
transmitting, along with the multicast message;
an indication of the responsibility that each node of the plurality of other nodes has with respect to disseminating the multicast message further down the multicast tree; and
an indication of how responsibilities are to be divided up among the nodes of the multicast group should one or more of the nodes of the multicast group fail.
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Abstract
A method for multicasting a message in a computer network is described, in which at least some nodes of a multicast group transmit fault recovery information to other nodes of the group in addition to, or as part of, the message itself. The fault recovery information allows nodes to determine what dissemination responsibility should be assigned to successor nodes in the event that one or more nodes of the multicast group fail.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A method for disseminating a message to nodes of a multicast group, the multicast group being organized into a tree-structured hierarchy, the method comprising:
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transmitting the multicast message from a node of the multicast group to a plurality of other nodes of the multicast group;
transmitting, along with the multicast message;
an indication of the responsibility that each node of the plurality of other nodes has with respect to disseminating the multicast message further down the multicast tree; and
an indication of how responsibilities are to be divided up among the nodes of the multicast group should one or more of the nodes of the multicast group fail. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 5)
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4. (canceled)
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6. A method for disseminating a message to nodes of a multicast group, the method comprising:
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at a first node of the multicast group;
delegating responsibility for forwarding the message to a first plurality of other nodes of the multicast group;
transmitting to a second node of the multicast group, the second node being one of the first plurality of nodes, information about the responsibility delegated to the second node, wherein the information identifies a second plurality of other nodes of the multicast group, the second plurality comprising nodes to which the second node is responsible for ensuring the message is sent;
determining whether an indication that the second node has fulfilled at least some of its responsibility has been received; and
based on the determining step, transmitting, to a third node of the multicast group, the information about the responsibility delegated to the second node, so that the third node can assume the responsibility of the second node. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for disseminating a message to nodes of a multicast group, the method comprising:
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at a first node of the multicast group;
delegating responsibility for forwarding the message to a first plurality of other nodes of the multicast group;
transmitting to a second node of the multicast group, the second node being one of the first plurality of nodes, information regarding the responsibility delegated to the second node, wherein the information identifies a second plurality of other nodes of the multicast group, the second plurality comprising nodes to which the second node is responsible for ensuring the message is sent; and
transmitting to the second node information about the responsibility of a third node of the multicast group, wherein the third node is one of the first plurality of nodes, thereby allowing second node to initiate recovery of the multicast group should the third node fail. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. (canceled)
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18. A method for disseminating a message to nodes of a multicast group, the method comprising:
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a node of the multicast group receiving a multicast message that includes information that identifies previous nodes of the multicast group through which the message has passed prior to being received;
the receiving node deriving, based on the information received with the multicast message, the identity of the nodes of the multicast group to which the receiving node is responsible for sending the message; and
the receiving node transmitting, based on the deriving step, the multicast message to the nodes to which the receiving node is responsible for sending the message. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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21. A system for disseminating a message to nodes of a multicast group, the system comprising:
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a means for organizing the nodes of the multicast group into a tree-structured hierarchy;
a means for determining which nodes of the multicast group have failed; and
a means for transmitting the message to a plurality of nodes of the multicast group along with information regarding what the responsibility of each of the nodes of the plurality is with respect to taking over the function of those nodes that have been determined to have failed.
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22-23. -23. (canceled)
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24. A method for multicasting a message to a plurality of computer nodes of a multicast tree, each of the plurality of computer nodes having a node ID, the method comprising:
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a first node of the plurality of nodes transmitting at least a tag and a copy of the message to a second node of the plurality of nodes, wherein the tag comprises the node ID of a third node of the plurality of nodes and the node ID of a fourth node of the plurality of nodes, the third node and the fourth node each being a sibling of the second node within the multicast tree; and
the second node interpreting the tag as indicating that the second node is responsible for ensuring that a copy of the message is sent to each node of the plurality of nodes whose node ID is between the second node'"'"'s node ID and the node ID of the third node, not including the third node, that the second node is responsible for ensuring that the third node is periodically queried to determine whether the third node is alive, and that the third node is responsible for ensuring that a copy of the message is sent to each node of the plurality of nodes whose node ID is between the third node'"'"'s node ID and the node ID of the fourth node, not including the fourth node.
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25. (canceled)
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26. A method for multicasting a message to a plurality of computer nodes of a multicast tree, each of the plurality of computer nodes having a node ID, the method comprising:
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a first node of the plurality of nodes transmitting at least a tag and a copy of the message to a second node of the plurality of nodes; and
for each right-hand sibling node of the second node, the first node including in the tag an indication of the right-hand sibling node'"'"'s area of responsibility with regard to sending copies of the message to other nodes, wherein each right-hand sibling node is a sibling of the second node in the multicast tree, to the right of the second node in the multicast tree, and on the same level of the multicast tree as the second node.
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Specification