Reliable Delivery of Multi-Cast Conferencing Data

A computer program product for use in a hierarchically arranged multi-cast conferencing session including at least a root computer system that is network connectable to one or more immediate child computer systems, the root computer system configured to transmit packets with sequence numbers that can be used to order the packets, the root computer system being further configured to adjust the sequence number after a packet is transmitted such that a subsequent packet can be distinguished from a prior packet, the computer program product for implementing a method for the root computer system to control congestion on links used by the computer systems of the multi-cast conferencing session, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable media having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the root computer system to perform the following:

• identify a current send rate, the current send rate being a send rate the root computer system will multi-cast conferencing data to other computer systems participating in the multi-cast conferencing session;
• identify a next packet sequence number that is to be associated with the next transmitted multi-cast packet;
• selecting a rate change packet sequence number, the rate change packet sequence number being a specified threshold of sequence numbers greater than the next packet sequence number, the rate change packet sequence number indicating a sequence number when the root computer system can potentially adjust the current send rate;
• transmit at least a next multi-cast packet having the next packet sequence number, the at least a next multi-cast packet being transmitted in accordance with the current send rate;
• and
• adjust the current send rate based at least on whether the one or more immediate child computer systems indicated reception of the next multi-cast cast packet.