Multicast Flow-Zone Switching
AssigneeConsensii LLC
InventorRoger B. Marks
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A multicast flow-zone switching method and system are disclosed. Stations use allocated address blocks to label multicast egress frames with identifying information, which may include a destination zone map and a source zone identifier. Frames may be marked with an arborescence set identifier during transit through a core network. Core zones may use a source branch identifier and arborescence set identifier in the frame to restrict transmission to paths following one or more specified arborescences. Frames are delivered only along paths necessary to deliver frames to multicast destinations.
Claims21
-42. (canceled)
A data switch, comprising a memory and one or more ports, configured to:
- receive an ingress frame at an ingress port;
- identify, from content of the ingress frame, a source branch identifier;
- determine an arborescence set indicator;
- identify a plurality of potential forwarding arborescences, each consistent with the arborescence set indicator and source branch identifier, from among a set of arborescences, each associated, in the memory, with one or more arborescence forwarding ports;
- from the plurality of potential forwarding arborescences, select one or more as frame forwarding arborescences;
- and
- forward, in an egress frame, content of the ingress frame to zero or more egress ports selected from among all arborescence forwarding ports associated with any of the frame forwarding arborescences.
A method of forwarding a frame by a data switch, configured with a memory and one or more ports, comprising:
- receiving an ingress frame at an ingress port;
- identifying, from content of the ingress frame, a source branch identifier;
- determining an arborescence set indicator;
- identifying a plurality of potential forwarding arborescences, each consistent with the arborescence set indicator and source branch identifier, from among a set of arborescences, each associated, in the memory, with one or more arborescence forwarding ports;
- from the plurality of potential forwarding arborescences, selecting one or more as frame forwarding arborescences;
- and
- forwarding, in an egress frame, content of the ingress frame to zero or more egress ports selected from among all arborescence forwarding ports associated with any of the frame forwarding arborescences.
A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a data switch, configured with a memory and one or more ports, enable the data switch to perform a method of forwarding a frame, comprising:
- receiving an ingress frame at an ingress port;
- identifying, from content of the ingress frame, a source branch identifier;
- determining an arborescence set indicator;
- identifying a plurality of potential forwarding arborescences, each consistent with the arborescence set indicator and source branch identifier, from among a set of arborescences, each associated, in the memory, with one or more arborescence forwarding ports;
- from the plurality of potential forwarding arborescences, selecting one or more as frame forwarding arborescences;
- and
- forwarding, in an egress frame, content of the ingress frame to zero or more egress ports selected from among all arborescence forwarding ports associated with any of the frame forwarding arborescences.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.