Distributed multicast routing in packet-based communication network devices
US6807175B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 25, 2000 |
| Grant date | Oct 19, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 12, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04Q2213/13389
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A network router has a distributed processing scheme for multicast packets. The router has a look-up and forwarding engine operative in response to the reception of an internet protocol multicast packet to direct the packet to a multiplicity of transmit ports which may or may not be connected to the source network segment from which the multicast packet was received by the router. Each transmit port is associated with a predetermined default network segment and the engine directs the packet to the ports (e.g. across the router's backplane) with an identification of the source network segment and control flags which enable processing means associated with the ports to determine by comparison of the respective network segment and the source network segment whether the packet is bridged from the respective port or routed, with relevant modification of the packet, from that port. The control flags comprises a first flag which can be set to allow the relevant modification and a second flag which can be set to allow the comparison between the source segment and the predetermined default segment.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.