System and method for router multicast control
US6993024B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 16, 2000 |
| Grant date | Jan 31, 2006 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 24, 2023 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04Q2011/0047
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A multicast packet is transferred through a switching fabric from an input line card to a dedicated multicast card, which is substantially the same as an input and output line card, but without external facility interfaces. A dedicated output multicast card converts the multicast packet from an optical to an electrical packet and passes it to a dedicated input multicast card, where the packet is replicated electrically, converted back to an optical packet, and then transferred through the switching fabric to multiple destinations. In some embodiments, input and output dedicated multicast cards are actually a single card. Transfer of the multicast packet to multiple destinations occurs sequentially or simultaneously during a single switching cycle, if multiple parallel switching paths exist through the switching fabric. Some embodiments include multiple dedicated multicast cards, allowing rapid simultaneous expansion of the multicast tree.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.