Patent ID: 7742475
Filing Date: 2010-06-22
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for distributing replication points in a network for distributing traffic from a source, the method comprising: determining, at a first network routing device, if a first list of a plurality of network routing devices should be split into a plurality of sublists of sets of network routing devices based on a unicast reachability analysis by determining portions of the first list that are reachable through one or more interfaces of the first network routing device to the network routing devices in the first list, wherein splitting the first list is for distributing replication points for replicating the traffic from the source and the first list is split based on unicast reachability of network routing devices in each set, wherein network routing devices are configured to route the traffic; if the first list should be split into the sublists, wherein each sublist includes a portion of the first list that is reachable over one of the interfaces, performing the steps of: selecting a recipient network routing device in each of the plurality of sets of network routing devices based on routing metrics of a point-to-point link from the first network routing device to each of the recipient network routing devices; and setting up a first point-to-point link from the first network routing device to each of the selected recipient network routing devices, wherein each selected recipient network routing device receives one of the sublists of any remaining network routing devices in a corresponding set of network routing devices, and is configured to split the received sublist, if any remaining network routing devices are on the received sublist, to set up a second point-to-point link to a remaining network routing device in the received sublist, wherein the first network routing device is configured as a replication point to replicate traffic received from the source to each of the selected recipient network routing devices.