Outgoing interface mapping for multicast traffic
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- receiving a first membership request from a first subscriber device via a network switch coupled to a first interface of a network device, wherein the membership request specifies a first multicast group;
mapping the first membership request to a second interface of the network device, wherein the second interface is different from the first interface;
receiving a second membership request from a second subscriber device via the network switch for the first multicast group on the first interface;
mapping the second membership request to the second interface;
receiving a third membership request from a third subscriber device via the network switch for a second multicast group on the first interface, wherein the second multicast group is different from the first multicast group;
mapping the third membership request to a third interface of the network device, wherein the third interface is different from the first interface and the second interface;
sending a single multicast stream associated with the first multicast group to the network switch on the second interface of the network device for both the first subscriber device and the second subscriber device; and
sending a single multicast stream associated with the second multicast group to the network switch on the third interface of the network device for the third subscriber device.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Multiple subscriber devices are connected to a network device via one or more network switches. The network device transmits multicast traffic to the subscriber devices. In particular, the network device may receive membership requests for a multicast group from the subscriber devices via the network switch on a first interface, i.e., a mapping interface. The network device sends a multicast stream associated with the multicast group to the network switch on a second interface, i.e. an outgoing interface (OIF). Upon receiving a membership request, the network device maps the membership request to an OIF dedicated to the multicast group. In this way, when multiple subscriber devices connected to the same switch request the same multicast stream, each membership request will map to the same OIF. The network device sends one copy of the multicast stream to the network switch on the dedicated OIF.
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Citations
39 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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receiving a first membership request from a first subscriber device via a network switch coupled to a first interface of a network device, wherein the membership request specifies a first multicast group; mapping the first membership request to a second interface of the network device, wherein the second interface is different from the first interface; receiving a second membership request from a second subscriber device via the network switch for the first multicast group on the first interface; mapping the second membership request to the second interface; receiving a third membership request from a third subscriber device via the network switch for a second multicast group on the first interface, wherein the second multicast group is different from the first multicast group; mapping the third membership request to a third interface of the network device, wherein the third interface is different from the first interface and the second interface; sending a single multicast stream associated with the first multicast group to the network switch on the second interface of the network device for both the first subscriber device and the second subscriber device; and sending a single multicast stream associated with the second multicast group to the network switch on the third interface of the network device for the third subscriber device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A network device comprising:
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a first interface coupling the network device to a network switch, wherein the first interface carries a first membership request from a first subscriber device for a first multicast group, a second membership request from a second subscriber device for the first multicast group, and a third membership request from a third subscriber device for a second multicast group; a second interface coupling the network device to the network switch, wherein the second interface carries a single multicast stream associated with the first multicast group for both the first subscriber device and the second subscriber device; a third interface coupling the network device to the network switch, wherein the third interface carries a single multicast stream associated with the second multicast group for the third subscriber device; and a control unit that receives the first membership request, the second membership request, and the third membership request from the network switch on the first interface and sends the multicast stream associated with the first multicast group to the network switch on the second interface and the multicast stream associated with the second multicast group to the network switch on the third interface, the control unit further comprising a multicast group table manager that maps the first membership request and the second membership request to the second interface and the third membership request to the third interface. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that cause a programmable processor to:
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receive a first membership request from a first subscriber device via a network switch coupled to a first interface of a network device, wherein the first membership request specifies a first multicast group; receive a second membership request from a second subscriber device via the network switch coupled to the first interface of the network device, wherein the second membership request specifies the first multicast group; map the first membership request and the second membership request to a second interface of the network device, wherein the second interface is different from the first interface; receive a third membership request from a third subscriber device via the network switch for a second multicast group on the first interface, wherein the second multicast group is different from the first multicast group; send a single multicast stream associated with the first multicast group to the network switch on the second interface for both the first subscriber device and the second subscriber device; and send a single multicast stream associated with the second multicast group to the network switch on the third interface of the network device for the third subscriber device. - View Dependent Claims (36)
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37. A network device comprising:
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a plurality of input interfaces, each of the input interfaces coupling the network device to a different network switch; a plurality of output interfaces; a plurality of data structures defining a plurality of output interface maps, each of the output interface maps corresponding to a different one of the plurality of input interfaces to map multicast groups for which join requests were received by the respective input interface to different ones of the output interfaces of the network device; a control unit that receives a plurality of membership requests for different multicast groups from the network switches via the logical input interfaces, wherein the control unit maps each of the multicast groups to a different corresponding one of the plurality of output interfaces in accordance with the data structures and outputs a single multicast stream for each of the multicast groups to the network switch on the corresponding output interface. - View Dependent Claims (38)
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39. A network device comprising:
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a plurality of mapping interfaces, each of the mapping interfaces coupling the network device to a different one of a plurality of network switches, that receive join requests via the respective one of the plurality of network switches; a plurality of logical output interfaces coupling the network device to the plurality of network switches, such that the network device is coupled to each of the plurality of network switches by one or more of the plurality of logical output interfaces; a plurality of data structures defining a plurality of output interface maps, each of the output interface maps corresponding to a different one of the plurality of mapping interfaces to map multicast groups for which join requests were received by the respective one of the plurality of mapping interfaces to one of the one or more of the plurality of logical output interfaces coupling the network device to the respective one of the plurality of network switches; a control unit that receives a plurality of membership requests for different multicast groups from the plurality of network switches via the plurality of mapping interfaces, maps each of the multicast groups to different ones of the plurality of output interfaces for each of the plurality of network switches using respective ones of the plurality of data structures, and, for each of the plurality of network switches, outputs a single multicast stream for each of the multicast groups to the network switch on the corresponding one of the plurality of logical output interfaces.
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Specification