Method, apparatus and system for forwarding multicast program

• US 9,065,663 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2014
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Wei, Ming, Huang, Bin
• Primary Examiner(s): DOBSON, DANIEL G
• Application Number:
  US14/165,978
• Publication Number:
  US 20140140700A1
• Time in Patent Office: 511 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/27 Arrangements for networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18

Abstract

The present invention provide a method for forwarding a multicast program includes: receiving a multicast join request message requesting an on-demand program from a user; obtaining forwarding decision information according to the multicast join request message; determining a decision result corresponding to the forwarding decision information according to the forwarding decision information and forwarding relation data, where the decision result is forwarding according to PON replication or forwarding according to user replication, the forwarding relation data includes data elements indicating correspondence between various types of forwarding decision information and various types of forwarding modes, and the various types of forwarding modes include the forwarding according to PON replication and the forwarding according to user replication; and forwarding the on-demand program to the user according to the decision result.

Claims

1. A method for forwarding a multicast program, comprising:

receiving, by an Optical Line Terminal (OLT), a multicast join request message from a user for requesting an on-demand program;

obtaining, by the OLT, forwarding decision information according to the multicast join request message;

acquire, by the OLT, a decision result by searching data elements with the obtained forwarding decision information;

wherein the data elements indicate a correspondence between various types of forwarding decision information and various types of forwarding modes;

wherein the various types of forwarding modes comprise a forwarding according to Passive Optical Network (PON) replication and a forwarding according to user replication;

wherein the decision result is the forwarding according to PON replication or the forwarding according to user replication; and

forwarding, by the OLT, the on-demand program to the user according to the decision result.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data elements indicating the correspondence between the various types of forwarding decision information and the various types of forwarding modes comprise:

data elements indicating correspondence between various user types and the various types of forwarding modes;

or,

data elements indicating correspondence between various security levels of on-demand programs and the various types of forwarding modes;

or,

data elements indicating correspondence between various combinations of the various user types and the various security levels of on-demand programs and the various types of forwarding modes;

or,

data elements indicating correspondence between the number of a same type of users ordering a same program and the various types of forwarding modes.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data elements indicating the correspondence between the various types of forwarding decision information and the various types of forwarding modes comprise:

at least one data element indicating that the forwarding mode is the forwarding according to PON replication, and at least one data element indicating that the forwarding mode is the forwarding according to user replication.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the data elements indicating the correspondence between the various user types and the various types of forwarding modes comprise:

a data element indicating that a user type of not subscribing to a multicast service corresponds to the forwarding according to user replication.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the data elements indicating the correspondence between the various security levels of on-demand programs and the various types of forwarding modes comprise:

a data element indicating that a security level higher than a preset security level corresponds to the forwarding according to user replication.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein the data elements indicating the correspondence between the various combinations of the various user types and the various security levels of on-demand programs and the various types of forwarding modes comprise:

a data element indicating that a security level of the on-demand program higher than a preset security level and a user type being a user subscribing to a multicast service correspond to the forwarding according to user replication;

a data element indicating that the security level of the on-demand program higher than the preset security level and the user type being a user not subscribing to a multicast service correspond to the forwarding according to user replication;

a data element indicating that the security level of the on-demand program lower than the preset security level and the user type being a user not subscribing to a multicast service correspond to the forwarding according to user replication; and

a data element indicating that the security level of the on-demand program lower than the preset security level and the user type being a user subscribing to a multicast service correspond to the forwarding according to PON replication.

7. The method according to claim 2, wherein the data elements indicating the correspondence between the number of the same type of users ordering the same program and the various types of forwarding modes comprise:

a data element indicating that the number smaller than or equal to a threshold corresponds to the forwarding according to user replication; and

a data element indicating that the number greater than the threshold corresponds to the forwarding according to PON replication.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the forwarding the multicast program to the user according to the decision result comprises:

establishing forwarding table entries for the multicast program in a forwarding table according to the decision result; and

acquiring the multicast program, looking up the forwarding table, and forwarding the multicast program to the user according to the forwarding table entries.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the forwarding table entries comprise the multicast program and a forwarding port;

and the forwarding port is a port for forwarding according to PON replication or a port for forwarding according to user replication.

10. An apparatus for forwarding a multicast program, comprising:

a receiving unit, configured to receive a multicast join request message from a user for requesting an on-demand program;

an information acquiring unit, configured to obtain forwarding decision information according to the multicast join request message;

a determining unit, configured to acquire a decision result by searching data elements with the obtained forwarding decision information;

wherein the data elements indicate a correspondence between various types of forwarding decision information and various types of forwarding modes;

wherein the various types of forwarding modes comprise a forwarding according to Passive Optical Network, PON, replication and a forwarding according to user replication;

wherein the decision result is the forwarding according to PON replication or the forwarding according to user replication; and

a forwarding unit, configured to forward the on-demand program to the user according to the decision result.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the forwarding unit comprises:

a forwarding table entry establishing module, configured to establish forwarding table entries for the multicast program in a forwarding table according to the decision result; and

a forwarding module, configured to acquire the multicast program, look up the forwarding table, and forward the multicast program to the user according to the forwarding table entries.

12. A system for forwarding a multicast program, comprising:

an optical network terminal and an optical line terminal, wherein

the optical network terminal is configured to send a multicast join request message requesting an on-demand program from a user to the optical line terminal; and

the optical line terminal is configured to receive the multicast join request message, obtains forwarding decision information according to the multicast join request message, determines a decision result corresponding to the forwarding decision information according to the forwarding decision information and forwarding relation data, wherein the decision result is forwarding according to PON replication or forwarding according to user replication, the forwarding relation data comprises data elements indicating correspondence between various types of forwarding decision information and various types of forwarding modes, and the various types of forwarding modes comprise the forwarding according to PON replication and the forwarding according to user replication, and forwards the on-demand program to the optical network terminal according to the decision result.