Distributed management communications network

• US 5,634,011 A
• Filed: 08/21/1995
• Issued: 05/27/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kaplan, Marc A., Ward, Michael J., Peters, Marcia L., Auerbach, Joshua S., Drake, John E. Jr., Hervatic, Elizabeth A., Gopal, Prabandham M., Kutten, Shay
• Primary Examiner(s): Oberley, Alvin E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): RICHARDSON, LAW
• Application Number:
  US08/517,305
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: 370/94.3, 370/94.1, 370/85.1, 370/60, 370/16, 340/825.02, 340/826, 340/827, 395/600, 395/650, 395/200.15, 395/200.11, 395/200.02
• US Class Current: 709/242
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1854 with non-centralised forwarding system, e.g. chaincast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1877 Measures taken prior to transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5626 Network management, e.g. Intelligent nets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/042 comprising distributed management centres cooperatively managing the network

Abstract

A multinode, multicast communications network has a distributed control for the creation, administration and operational mode selection operative in each of the nodes of the network. Each node is provided with a Set Manager for controlling either creation of, administration or access to a set of users to whom a multicast is to be directed. The Set Manager maintains a record of the local membership of all users associated with the node in which the Set Manager resides. A given Set Manager for each designated set of users is assigned the task of being the Set Leader to maintain membership information about the entire set of users in the multicast group. One of the Set Managers in the communications network is designated to be the Registrar which maintains a list of all the Set Leaders in the network. The Registrar insures that there is one and only one Set Leader for each set of users, answers inquiries about the membership of the sets and directs inquiries to appropriate Set Leaders if necessary. All of the set creation, administration and control functions can therefore be carried out by any node of the system and provision is made to assume the function at a new node when failure or partition in the network occurs.

Claims

1. A communications network management system including a plurality of interconnected nodes, comprising:

communications control means for providing distributed administration of multicast communications network user sets utilizing a plurality of selectable controls including communication network user Set Manager control means, Set Leader control means and network Registrar control means;

management mode control means at each node of said network, communicating with each communications network user at said node and responsive to the dynamic communications requirements of said users for selecting the mode of operation of said communication control means to exercise said network user Set Manager control means, said Set Leader control means and said network Registrar control means so that said network has active at any time only one said network Registrar control means in said communications network, only one Set Manager control means per node in said network and only one said Set Leader control means per set of users,

means, including said Set Manager control means, for routing multicasting messages in the node in which that Set Manager Control means resides,

means, including said Set Leader control means, for modifying the membership in said set of users corresponding to said Set Leader means; and

means, including said Registrar control means, for insuring that there is only one of said Set Leader control means for each said set of users.

2. In a data communications network including a plurality of nodes interconnected by means of communication links, each of nodes having one or more users locally connected thereto, a multicast control system for controlling the substantially-concurrent distribution of data to sets of users, each set comprising one or more users, said control system including:

at each node, a set manager for maintaining a record of the set or sets to which each locally-connected user belongs;

for each set of users in the network, one and only one set leader located at one node for maintaining a record of all current users in a set regardless of which node a user is locally connected to;

for the entire data communications network, one and only one registrar located at one node for maintaining a list of set leaders in the network;

means responsive to a user request that data be transferred to members of a particular set to cause said set leader to retrieve records identifying all users in the set; and

means for initiating the transfer of data to each identified user in the set.

3. A multicast control system as set forth in claim 2 wherein each said set manager includes

means for establishing a new set identity in response to a user'"'"'s request to join a set for which there are not existing set members and

means for deleting a set identity when the last user resigns from the set.

4. A multicast control system as set forth in claim 2 wherein said registrar further includes

means for maintaining a list of all current user sets in the network and a list of all users belonging to each of said current user sets.

5. A multicast control system as set forth in any one of claims 2-4, wherein each said set manager includes

means responsive to receipt of messages addressed to a particular set to query the set leader for the identity of all users that are current members of the particular set.

6. For use in a data communications network including a plurality of nodes interconnected by means of communication links, each of said nodes having one or more users locally connected thereto, a method of controlling the multicasting of data to sets of users, each set comprising one or more users, said method comprising the steps of

in each node in the network, maintaining a set manager database having records associating each locally connected user with each set currently in existence in the network of which the user is a member;

in one node in the network, maintaining a set leader database for a particular currently-existing set, said database including records identifying all users in the network who are members of the set;

in only one node in the network, maintaining a registry of set leader databases;

in response to a request from a user that data be sent to the members of a set, accessing the set leader database for the given set to retrieve the addresses of all members of the set; and

initiating the transfer of data to each identified member of the set.