METHODS FOR MANAGING MULTICAST TRAFFIC BETWEEN SOURCES SENDING DATA AND HOSTS REQUESTING DATA AND NETWORK EQUIPMENT USED TO IMPLEMENT THE METHODS

• US 20100172352A1
• Filed: 03/16/2010
• Published: 07/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Media Patents S.L.
• Original Assignee: Media Patents S.L.
• Inventors: Fernández Gutierrez, Alvaro
• Granted Patent: US 8,571,028 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

Abstract

A device, system and method for controlling the flow of multicast data packets from sources sending data to hosts requesting the data. In one implementation, a router is situated in a data network between sources that send multicast data packets directed to a multicast group and hosts requesting to receive the multicast data packets. The router has one or more network interfaces in the direction of the hosts and stores for each network interface, each multicast group address and each host at least one data record arising from one or more data requests made by the hosts which includes multicast group and source information. The router stores executable instructions to receive messages originating from a host, update the status of the data sources for that host and implement the actions according to one or a combination of Tables 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 disclosed herein.

Claims

1-36. -36. (canceled)

37. An IGMP type snooping switch having one or more ports and situated in, or configured to be situated in, a data network system between IGMP type equipment that send multicast data packets from one or more multicast group addresses and multiple hosts that request multicast data from the IGMP type equipment, the IGMP type snooping switch configured to store for each port, each multicast group address and each host at least one or more records derived from one or more messages sent by the hosts, the at least one or more records including multicast group address, filter mode and source address information.

38. An IGMP type snooping switch according to claim 37, wherein the switch communicates with the IGMP type equipment via a communications protocol based on IGMPv3 or a version or modification thereof.

39. An IGMP type snooping switch according to claim 37, wherein the record comprises at least {port, multicast-address, hostlD, filter mode, (source-addresses}, where port identifies a port of the switch, multicast-address is the multicast group address, hostlD is an identifier of the host that has sent the multicast data request, filter mode can be INCLUDE or EXCLUDE and (source-addresses) comprises a list of source IP addresses.

40. An IGMP type snooping switch according to claim 37, wherein the switch stores executable instructions for (1) obtaining from the multicast data request host identity data which identify the host that has sent the request, and (2) storing in the records for each port, each multicast group address and each host information about the sources, filter mode for the sources and the host identity data.

41. An IGMP type snooping switch according to claim 40, wherein the switch stores executable instructions for reading in a request originating from a host that has sent the request the source IP (Internet Protocol) address of the IP datagram containing the request, and storing the source IP address as the identity data of the host.

42. An IGMP type snooping switch according to claim 40, wherein the switch stores executable instructions for reading in a request originating from a host the source MAC (Media Access Control) address of the data frame that carries the IP (Internet Protocol) datagram containing the request, and storing the source MAC address as the identity data of the host.

43. An IGMP type snooping switch according to claim 37, wherein the switch stores executable instructions for analyzing the information contained in the records and, based on the information, limiting the multicast data the switch transmits to one or more of the hosts.

44. An IGMP type snooping switch according to claim 37 wherein the switch stores executable instructions for analyzing the information contained in the records and, based on the information, adjusting the multicast bandwidth which the switch has available for distributing among the various hosts.

45. An IGMP type snooping switch according to claim 37, wherein the switch stores executable instructions for limiting the amount of multicast data a single host can request.

46. An IGMP type snooping switch according to claim 37, wherein the switch stores executable instructions for reading at least a portion of a message originating from a host and storing for each port, each multicast group address and each host INCLUDE source data and EXCLUDE source data.

47. An IGMP type snooping switch according to claim 37, wherein the snooping switch stores executable instructions to read at least a portion of the messages originating from at least one of the multiple hosts that requests multicast data from a multicast group, update the status of the data sources for the multicast group and host and implement the actions according to one of the processes of Table 3.

48. An IGMP type snooping switch according to claim 37, wherein the snooping switch stores executable instructions to read at least a portion of the messages originating from at least one of the multiple hosts that requests multicast data from a multicast group, update the status of the data sources for the multicast group and host and implement the actions according to one of the processes of Table 4.

49. An IGMP type snooping switch according to claim 37, wherein the snooping switch stores executable instructions to read at least a portion of the messages originating from at least one of the multiple hosts that requests multicast data from a multicast group, update the status of the data sources for the multicast group and host and implement the actions according to one of the processes of Table 5.

50. An IGMP type snooping switch according to claim 37, wherein the snooping switch stores executable instructions to read at least a portion of the messages originating from at least one of the multiple hosts that requests multicast data from a multicast group, update the status of the data sources for the multicast group and host and implement the actions according to one of the processes of Table 6.

51. An IGMP type snooping switch according to claim 37, wherein the snooping switch stores executable instructions to read at least a portion of the messages originating from at least one of the multiple hosts that requests multicast data from a multicast group, update the status of the data sources for the multicast group and host and implement the actions according to one of the processes of Table 7.

52. An IGMP type snooping switch according to claim 37, wherein the snooping switch stores executable instructions to read at least a portion of the messages originating from a first host and a second host that request multicast data from a multicast group, update the status of the data sources for the multicast group and first host and implement the actions according to Table 1 and, update the status of the data sources for the multicast group and second host and implement the actions according to one of the processes of Table 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7.

53. An IGMP type snooping switch according to claim 37, wherein the snooping switch stores executable instructions to read at least a portion of the messages originating from a first host and a second host that request multicast data from a multicast group, update the status of the data sources for the multicast group and first host and implement the actions according to a first process of Table 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 and, update the status of the data sources for the multicast group and second host and implement the actions according to one of a second process of Table 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7, the second process being from a Table different the first process.

54. An IGMP type snooping switch according to claim 37, wherein the snooping switch stores executable instructions to read at least a portion of at least a first type of message and a second type of message that is different from the first type of message originating from at least one of the multiple hosts that request multicast data from a multicast group, update the status of the data sources for the multicast group and host and implement the actions according to one of a first process of Table 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 based on the first type of message, update the status of the data sources for the multicast group and host and implement the actions according to one of a second process of Table 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 based on the second type of message, the second process being from a Table different the first process.

55. An IGMP type snooping switch according to claim 54, wherein the first and second types of messages are one of a IS_IN(Z), IS_EX(Z), TO_IN(Z), TO_EX(Z), ALLOW(Z) or BLOCK(Z) type message.