US 2015/0146516 A1 · Layered Multicast and Fair Bandwidth Allocation and Packet Prioritization

Abstract

Embodiments include an overlay multicast network. The overlay multicast network may provide a set of features to ensure reliable and timely arrival of multicast data. The embodiments include a congestion control system that may prioritize designated layers of data within a data stream over other layers of the same data stream. Each data stream transmitted over the network may be given an equal share of the bandwidth. Addressing in routing tables maintained by routers in the may utilize summarized addressing based on the difference in location of the router and destination address. Summarization levels may be adjusted to minimize travel distances for packets in the network. Data from high priority data stream layers may also be retransmitted upon request from a destination machine to ensure reliable delivery of data

Claims10

Dependent claims

A method of replacing lost packets within a data transmission network distributing packets from a source to a plurality of receivers, said network including a plurality of connected nodes, each node including a buffer memory, said method comprising:

receiving a plurality of packets in a stream of data originating from said source at a first node within said network;
detecting in the first node the loss of a packet from said received stream of data;
sending from the first node toward said source a request for retransmission of said missing packet;
determining, at a preceding node of said network in response to receipt of a retransmission request, whether the missing packet is contained within a buffer within said preceding node;
and
either forwarding the missing packet from the preceding node to the first node in response to the retransmission request if the packet is located in said buffer, or forwarding the retransmission request from the preceding node toward the source if the packet is not located in said buffer and said preceding node is not said source.

3 more elements

A method of replacing lost packets within a data stream in a data transmission network distributing packets from a source to a plurality of receivers wherein each data packet includes a priority designation to define a plurality of separate virtual streams of data, each virtual stream having an associated priority, said method comprising:

receiving a plurality of packets in a plurality of virtual streams of data into a first node;
determining a congestion level of the network;
detecting in the first node the loss of a packet from one of said received virtual streams of data;
and
deciding whether to send toward said source a request for retransmission of said missing packet based upon the congestion level of said network and the priority associated with the virtual stream of data from which the packet is missing.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Layered Multicast and Fair Bandwidth Allocation and Packet Prioritization

Life of this patent

Layered Multicast and Fair Bandwidth Allocation and Packet Prioritization

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims10