Method for managing multicast traffic in a data network and network equipment using said method

• US 8,184,630 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2007
• Issued: 05/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Media Patents S.L.
• Original Assignee: Media Patents S.L.
• Inventors: Fernandez Gutierrez, Alvaro
• Primary Examiner(s): Sefcheck, Gregory
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kang, Suk Jin
• Application Number:
  US12/440,225
• Publication Number:
  US 20100183008A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,618 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/390
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1458 Denial of Service

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for managing multicast traffic in a data network, and network equipment using said method. Hosts receive from a network interface of a router traffic sent by sources in a multicast group. The hosts and the router communicate with one another by means of a multicast host-router communications protocol by means of which the hosts send to the router messages to request multicast traffic from sources in a multicast group. The router receiving one of said messages obtains in said message identifying data which identify the host that has sent said message, and said router stores in specific records for each network interface of the router, host and multicast group information about the sources the traffic of which has been requested by said host in said messages sent to the router.

Claims

1. A router situated in a data network system between sources that send multicast data packets having as a destination IP address a multicast group address and hosts that request multicast data from the sources, the router situated in the data network closest to the hosts and having one or more downstream network interfaces adapted to receive multicast data requests from the hosts that separately comprise INCLUDE filter mode source lists of a multicast group address, indicating that a host wishes to receive data sent by the INCLUDE sources and EXCLUDE filter mode source lists of a multicast group address, indicating that the host wishes to receive data sent by all the sources of the multicast group except the EXCLUDE sources, the router comprising executable instructions stored within a storage medium of the router that when executed in the router stores records within a storage medium of the router upon multicast data requests being received in the one or more downstream network interfaces, the executable instructions causing to be stored a record for each combination of downstream network interface, multicast group address and host from which a multicast data request has been received, the record comprising identifying information of the network interface through which the router has received the multicast data request, the multicast group address from which the multicast data has been requested, identity data of the host from which the multicast data request has been received, a source IP address of the source from which the multicast data has been requested, a source-timer associated with the source, and either a INCLUDE filter mode designator or an EXLUDE filter mode designator.

2. The router according to claim 1 wherein the records are state records.

3. The router according to claim 1 wherein the router communicates with the hosts via a communications protocol based on the IGMP or the MLD protocol.

4. The router according to claim 1 wherein the router communicates with the hosts via a modified IGMPv3 or a modified MLDv2 protocol.

5. The router according to claim 1 wherein the router uses a version of the PIM protocol to request the multicast data sent by the sources.

6. The router according to claim 1 wherein the router communicates with the hosts via a communications protocol based on the IGMP or the MLD protocol and wherein the router uses a version of the PIM protocol to request the multicast data sent by the sources.

7. The router according to claim 1 wherein the router stores executable instructions for (1) analyzing the multicast data requests originating from the hosts to request multicast data from sources in a multicast group address and, (2) updating accordingly the information contained in the records for the hosts if the request is a change of state message informing about a variation of the sources from which a host wishes to receive multicast data and, (3) adjusting the multicast data transmission based on the information contained in the records for the different hosts which have requested multicast data without requesting confirmation from the hosts.

8. The router according to claim 1 wherein the router stores executable instructions for reading in a multicast data request originating from a host that has sent the request the IP (Internet Protocol) address of origin of the IP datagram containing the request, and storing the IP address as the identity data of the host.

9. The router according to claim 1 wherein the router stores executable instructions for reading in a multicast data request originating from a host a MAC (Media Access Control) address of the data frame that carries the IP (Internet Protocol) datagram containing the request, and storing the MAC address as the identity data of the host.

10. The router according to claim 1 wherein the router stores executable instructions for analyzing the information contained in the records and, based on the information, limiting the multicast data the router transmits to one or more of the hosts.

11. The router according to claim 1 wherein the router stores executable instructions for analyzing the information contained in the records and, based on the information, adjusting the multicast bandwidth which the router has available for distributing among the various hosts.

12. The router according to claim 1 wherein the router stores executable instructions for limiting the amount of multicast data a single host can request from a multicast group address and/or source.