Unicast to multicast conversion

• US 9,019,886 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2013
• Issued: 04/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ruckus Wireless, Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kish, William S., Gram, Charles Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, DANH C
• Application Number:
  US14/106,514
• Publication Number:
  US 20140177511A1
• Time in Patent Office: 501 Days
• Field of Search: 370/312, 370/254, 370/397, 455/418
• US Class Current: 370/312
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/16 Multipoint routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services

Abstract

A method for unicast packet conversion whereby a unicast packet is received at a receiving node followed by a determination as to whether the destination address is identified in the packet. If the address is identified, then the unicast packets are converted to a multicast packet and forwarded to a connected station. If a destination network address is not identified, then the packet is forwarded to the connected station.

Claims

1. A method for managing throughput in a communications network, the method comprising:

receiving a multicast packet at a node, the multicast packet having been converted from a unicast packet at another node, the unicast packet including a destination network address, wherein the multicast packet is received at a minimum data rate dictated by an 802.1x protocol for multicast packets when a lowest common denominator data rate does not exceed the minimum data rate, and the lowest common denominator data rate is a data rate supported by all nodes addressed by the multicast packet;

passing the multicast packet to a multicast packet handler in the node, wherein;

the multicast packet handler is aware of at least two connections to a MAC layer,

the MAC layer is at a higher level of a MAC address assigned to the node,

the MAC address assigned to the node corresponds to the destination network address,

a first connection at the MAC layer manages the node,

a second connection of the at least two connections uses a multicast address that corresponds to the destination network address, and

the second connection to the MAC layer contains video data for a second node; and

processing the packet at the higher level of the MAC architecture.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the MAC layer is MAC layer.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the node recognizing its own assigned MAC address before passing the multicast packet to the multicast packet handler in the node.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the multicast address used by the second node comprises all 0xFFs.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the unicast packet was converted to the multicast packet after determining that the unicast packet included the destination network address.

6. A method for managing throughput in a communications network, the method comprising:

receiving a multicast packet at a node, the multicast packet having been converted from a unicast packet at another node, the unicast packet including a destination network address, wherein the multicast packet is received at a least common denominator data rate when the least common denominator data rate exceeds a minimum data rate dictated by an 802.1x protocol for multicast packets, and the lowest common denominator data rate is a data rate supported by all nodes addressed by the multicast packet;

passing the multicast packet to a multicast packet handler in the node, wherein;

the multicast packet handler is aware of at least two connections to a MAC layer,

the MAC layer is at a higher level of a MAC address assigned to the node,

the MAC address assigned to the node corresponds to the destination network address,

a first connection at the MAC layer manages the node,

a second connection of the at least two connections uses a multicast address that corresponds to the destination network address, and

the second connection to the MAC layer contains video data for a second node; and

processing the packet at the higher level of the MAC architecture.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the node recognizing its own assigned MAC address before passing the multicast packet to the multicast packet handler in the node.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the multicast address used by the second node comprises all 0xFFs.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the unicast packet was converted to the multicast packet after determining that the unicast packet included the destination network address.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the lowest common denominator rate is higher than an effective unicast rate.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the MAC layer is MAC layer 3.