Patent ID: 8503449
Filing Date: 2013-08-06
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for communicating in a communication network environment, said environment including at least a first, a second, and a third local area network (LAN) separated from each other by a wide area network (WAN), said LANs being IP-multicast-capable and said WAN being non-IP-multicast-capable, the method comprising: electing a device in said first LAN as a first distributed convergence node; designating a device in said second LAN as a second distributed convergence node, said second distributed convergence node being a routing distributed convergence node; electing a device in said third LAN as a third distributed convergence node, said routing distributed convergence node in the second LAN being configured to forward multicast data from each elected distributed convergence node of a plurality of LANs including the first and third LANs to each other elected distributed convergence node of the plurality of LANs using unicast connections through said non-IP-multicast-capable WAN; and communicating multicast data between said first and said third distributed convergence nodes through said non-multicast-capable WAN via said routing distributed convergence node, wherein said multicast data is communicated between devices within each of said LANs using IP multicast connections, and wherein said multicast data is communicated between said first distributed convergence node and said routing distributed convergence node and between said routing distributed convergence node and said third distributed convergence node using unicast connections through said non-multicast-capable WAN.