Method for configuring 1:n overlay multicast network of multicast agent in wireless lan environment and multicast agent therefor

Abstract

A method of configuring a multicast agent and a 1:N overlay multicast network considering a wireless local area network (WLAN) environment of the same are provided. The method includes: a session manger generating a first database with entries of multicast agents subscribing to a session and multicast agents that have applied for subscription to a session but have not been confirmed for normal operation; a multicast agent generating a second database with entries of a path from the root of a tree to which the multicast agent belongs, a hierarchical relation in the tree, the list of probed neighboring nodes, and a list of not-probed neighboring nodes; the multicast agent subscribing to the overlay network; obtaining information on neighboring multicast agents; setting a multicast agent which is determined to be optimal based on the obtained information, as a parent node; and if a multicast agent providing a tree improved from the current tree is found, changing the parent node. According to the method, multicast communication can be easily introduced into a wireless environment without particular modification of existing Internet router equipment.