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Method and apparatus for performing per-port IP multicast pruning

  • US 6,370,142 B1
  • Filed: 04/02/1997
  • Issued: 04/09/2002
  • Est. Priority Date: 07/12/1995
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A method of forwarding packets received by a switch, the switch including a plurality of ports, the switch coupled to a plurality of end-stations, one or more of the plurality of end-stations being part of a virtual local area network (VLAN), the method comprising:

  • maintaining a mapping of Internet Protocol (IP) multicast groups to one or more of the plurality of ports;

    causing at least one member of an IP multicast group on each LAN segment of the VLAN to respond to a group membership query message with a group membership report by suppressing the forwarding of group membership reports onto the VLAN;

    receiving an IP multicast packet;

    forwarding the IP multicast packet to each of the one or more end-stations in the VLAN if a destination address associated with the IP multicast packet is an all-systems multicast group;

    forwarding the IP multicast packet to only those of the plurality of ports that are coupled to IP multicast routers if the IP multicast packet is a group membership report or if the destination address is one that is not known by the switch; and

    forwarding the IP multicast packet to one or more end-stations of the plurality of end-stations if the destination address is one that is known by the switch to be an IP multicast address subscribed to by the one or more end-stations.

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