Method for a unicast endpoint client to access a multicast internet protocol (ip) session and to serve as a redistributor of such session

Abstract

A endpoint client (,-,) on an IP Unicast network (,) that is provided access to a Multicast session on an IP Multicast network (,) through a Multicast-Unicast gateway server (MUS) (,) is enabled to re-Multicast that session to other endpoint clients (,-,) on the network to which it is connected or to endpoint clients (,) on any Multicast-capable sub-network (,) to which it is directly connected. To act as a re-Multicaster, the endpoint client receiving Unicast-addressed packets from the session from the MUS, re-translates these Unicast-addressed packets to Multicast-addressed packets by translating the Unicast address in the distribution field of each packet's header into a Multicast address and overwriting the Unicast address in each header with the Multicast address. When an endpoint client on the same or connected sub-network as the re-Multicaster desires to join a session that is being re-Multicast, it needs only connect to that Multicast address. A endpoint client on a Unicast network can elect to be a re-Multicaster of packets from a session as long as that same session is not being re-Multicast by another endpoint client on any sub-network on which the electing re-Multicaster is connected or a Multicast router is not forwarding packets from the session onto the sub-network.