Maintenance of message distribution trees in a communications network
First Claim
1. A communications network having a plurality of nodes interconnected to one another by communications links via which links messages may be sent and delivered to one or more communication network users residing at one or more of said nodes, said network being organized for communication among an arbitrary group of member of a defined subset of communications network users into one or more distribution trees, wherein each said node includes means for operating as a Distribution Tree Leader for at least one said subset of communications network users, said Distribution tree Leader including means for generating a distribution tree address and a distribution tree address correlation identifier which uniquely identify said distribution tree at all said nodes having members of said subset included by said Distribution Tree Leader in said distribution tree, and means for generating and sending to all said nodes having members served by said distribution tree, a distribution tree creation request message including a Set Change Notification indicator, each said node further comprising:
- means for reporting link, node or user terminal failures and changes in distribution tree membership of any communications network user served by said node including means for creating and sending on said network a network change notification message addressed to each said Distribution Tree Leader which requested notification in said tree creation request message.
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Abstract
Each node in a multinode communication system is provided with programming to act as a Set Manager for a given set of nodes and users. Functions of the Set Manager include operation processes for creating distribution trees for efficient multicast and bandwidth reservation tasks. Because set membership is not necessarily fixed or accurate at the time the distribution tree is created, the Tree Leader task that creates and maintains the trees needs accurate and updated information showing the number of users at the nodes it serves which are participating in the distribution tree. The count of active users at nodes served by the Tree Leader is provided in response to an indicia established at the time the Tree Leader sets up the tree. Each Set Manager at a given node monitors for changes in set membership and link failure and notifies the requesting Tree Leaders for each tree in which it participates whenever changes in the number of users either by joining or leaving the set or link failures occur by direct communication between the Set Managers and the Tree Leaders without requiring intervention of other elements in the system.
96 Citations
7 Claims
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1. A communications network having a plurality of nodes interconnected to one another by communications links via which links messages may be sent and delivered to one or more communication network users residing at one or more of said nodes, said network being organized for communication among an arbitrary group of member of a defined subset of communications network users into one or more distribution trees, wherein each said node includes means for operating as a Distribution Tree Leader for at least one said subset of communications network users, said Distribution tree Leader including means for generating a distribution tree address and a distribution tree address correlation identifier which uniquely identify said distribution tree at all said nodes having members of said subset included by said Distribution Tree Leader in said distribution tree, and means for generating and sending to all said nodes having members served by said distribution tree, a distribution tree creation request message including a Set Change Notification indicator, each said node further comprising:
means for reporting link, node or user terminal failures and changes in distribution tree membership of any communications network user served by said node including means for creating and sending on said network a network change notification message addressed to each said Distribution Tree Leader which requested notification in said tree creation request message. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
Specification