Patent ID: 8427948
Filing Date: 2013-04-23
Classification: H04L,Y02D

Abstract:
1. A communications network comprising: a first node and a second node; in which the first node is arranged to send data to the second node via two channels; a first unreliable channel for sending the data to the second node according to an unreliable communications protocol; and a second reliable channel for sending the data to the second node according to a reliable communications protocol: in which the data comprises a plurality of parts; in which the second node comprises a data checker for identifying data parts missing from the data received from the first node via the unreliable channel; and for obtaining from the data received from the first node via the reliable channel the data parts missing from the data received via the unreliable channel: in which the second node is one of a plurality N of second nodes: in which the unreliable channel is arranged in use to operate according to RTP operating over UDP over multicast to the plurality N of second nodes; and the reliable channel is arranged in use to operate over TCP to a subset M<N of the plurality N of second nodes; in which the plurality N of second nodes are arranged in use to participate in a peer-to-peer network; in which the subset M of the second nodes is arranged in use to receive via the reliable channel from the first node the data parts missing from the data received via the unreliable channel; and in which the remainder N−M of the plurality N of second nodes are arranged in use to receive from one or other of the subset M of the second nodes the data parts missing from the data received via the unreliable channel.