Patent ID: 6600743
Filing Date: 2003-07-29
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
In a computing network environment having a gateway device and having at least one host and a plurality of clients, said host and said clients being in processing communication with one another via said gateway device, a method of multicasting messages to some of said clients comprising the steps of:registering characteristics of client, host images for routing messages to corresponding hosts or clients including the LAN MAC Group address and the IP multicast address; establishing a multicast routing table and making one entry per corresponding hosts or clients in said table, each entry containing said characteristics; controlling communication between said host and said client(s) by means of a connectivity platform so that information packets are first received by said platform, each information packet containing an identification of the corresponding host or client to which the information packet is addressed; searching said routing table every time an information packet is received to determine if an entry can be found in said table corresponding to the host or client to which the information packet is addressed; routing any received information packets according to the characteristics found in said multicast routing table in said searching step; and dropping said information packet if no corresponding entry is found in said routing table.