Patent ID: 7860920
Filing Date: 2010-12-28
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for distributing data packets efficiently across a packet-based data network of information processing units and intermediate nodes, the method with an information processing unit comprising the steps of: receiving data and identification of a plurality of destinations on a packet-based data network, the data being associated with the identification of, and destined for reception by, each of the plurality of destinations on the packet-based data network; and sending a single copy of the data across the packet-based data network via intermediate nodes to the plurality of destinations using a reliable multicast technique, the single copy of the data being sent contained in one or more multi-cast data packets, and wherein each multi-cast data packet comprising a multi-cast indicator and one or more unicast addresses associated with one or more destinations of the plurality of destinations on the packet-based data network.