Abstract:
A method for communicating with multiple network nodes is provided in which each node of a network has a wireless link that allows data to travel to and from the nodes in parallel, thereby taking advantage of the inherent broadcast capabilities of wireless media. The wireless link may be used in parallel with a point-to-point, land-based network linking the nodes. The method may be used for multicasting or broadcasting data on a network. Specifically, the method may be used to maintain a network cache, a routing database and quality of service in a manner that is more efficient and reliable than previous methods that use serial protocols over point to point network links.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD  
       [0001]     This invention relates generally to computer network communication and, more particularly, relates to a method for communicating with multiple network nodes.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     In today&#39;s computer networks, there is an increasing demand for multicasting capabilities. Multicasting is the act of sending a single data message from one node in the network to a group of other nodes. When the group includes all of the nodes in the network, the act is generally referred to as “broadcasting.” Currently, large networks such as the Internet implement multicasting by sending a message serially from one node to another, making multiple copies of the multicast data at strategic points along the way, and sending the copies down the various network paths and, eventually, to the members of the multicast group. One problem with this method is that it is inefficient, since it requires the various network nodes to expend processing power to inake and transmit additional copies of the message. Another more fundamental problem is that multicasting is intended to be a parallel process—i.e. each of the recipient nodes should receive the data simultaneously—but land-based network links are inherently serial, requiring a message to be relayed from node to node before reaching its final destination. This can result in propagation delays, causing distant nodes to receive the message much later than nodes closer to the origin. Sophisticated multicast protocols have been developed to address these problems, but they consume processing overhead and only represent stopgap measures.  
         [0003]     One specialized form of multicasting occurs in packet switched networks such as the Internet and involves the use of routers, which are a type of network node that directs data traffic between different devices on the network. When two or more computer in the network send data to one another during a communication session, routers “route” the data by determining the most appropriate paths over which the data should flow based on a number of criteria, including distance and Quality of Service (QOS). In order to make this determination, the routers have to create and maintain a routing database that describes the routing topology of the network. The routing database requires constant updating, since the routing topology can change quickly as a result of the addition, deletion, and failure of network equipment. Moment to moment changes in traffic loads at different parts of the network also need to be reflected in the routing database, since these changes can instantaneously cause previously optimal routes to become sub-optimal.  
         [0004]     In the current approach to routing, the routers use the conventional network paths themselves to update each other with local routing data. One problem with this approach is that the very act of sending the updates impacts the data traffic on the network, and can render the updates inaccurate. Another problem relates back to the serial nature of conventional network links, in that updates transmitted by one router will reach nearby routers relatively quickly, while updates to distant routers will take much longer. As a result, a router will tend to have a good picture of the network in the local area, but a relatively out-of-date picture of distant parts of the network.  
         [0005]     Routing protocols have been developed to ameliorate these problems, but like multicast protocols, they consume processing power and can only solve the problem  5  to a limited degree. For example, if the network conditions change faster than the shortest time it takes a message to travel across the network, routers will always be out of date with respect to current network conditions, and thus make suboptimal routing decisions. Thus, existing QOS protocols need to deal with cases where not all of the desired resources are still available by the time the protocol requests reach the node(s) holding those resources. In a network with rapidly changing conditions, it is difficult for the protocol to successfully “seize the moment” to allocate a set of resources that are dispersed across the network. Existing QOS protocols must use various allocation and error recovery techniques that are complicated and suboptimal.  
         [0006]     Thus it can be seen that there is a need for a method of communicating to a plurality of network nodes in parallel that can be applied to real-world problems such as network routing.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     In accordance with this need, a method for communicating with multiple network nodes is provided in which each node of a network has a wireless link that allows data to travel to and from the nodes in parallel, thereby taking advantage of the inherent broadcast capabilities of wireless media. The method may be used for multicasting or broadcasting in general as well as for specialized functions such as maintaining a network cache and maintaining network routing information. Each node may be a router or similar device that uses its wireless link to transmit local routing data messages to a central server. The central server then processes the local routing data to update a routing database. Because all node transmission reach the central server essentially at the speed of light, the routing database will represent a nearly instantaneous and accurate picture of the network routing topology. The central server then broadcasts the routing database (or updates to the routing database) to all of the nodes in the network using the wireless medium. The nodes will use the routing database to efficiently route network data in order to ensure efficient routing and to maintain the appropriate Quality of Service (QOS).  
         [0008]     Alternatively, each node may broadcast a local routing data message to the other nodes in the network via wireless medium. Each node then processes the local routing data messages received from the other nodes to maintain its own copy of the routing database. This eliminates the need for a central server, although a central server may be used concurrently.  
         [0009]     Additional features and advantages of the invention will be made apparent from the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments which proceeds with reference to the accompanying figures. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]     While the appended claims set forth the features of the present invention with particularity, the invention, together with its objects and advantages, may be best understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:  
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram generally illustrating an exemplary computer system on which the present invention resides;  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram showing an exemplary computer network;  
         [0013]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram of an implementation of a node;  
         [0014]      FIG. 4   a  is a flowchart generally depicting the flow of control of a communications program when sending a multicast message;  
         [0015]      FIG. 4   b  is a flowchart generally depicting the flow of control of a communications program when receiving a multicast message;  
         [0016]      FIG. 5  is a block diagram illustrating a network cache;  
         [0017]      FIG. 6  is a block diagram illustrating an implementation of a computer network in wireless communication with a central server;  
         [0018]      FIG. 7  is a block diagram illustrating an implementation of a network node from  FIG. 6 ;  
         [0019]      FIG. 8  is a block diagram illustrating an implementation of the central server from  FIG. 6 ;  
         [0020]      FIG. 9  is a flowchart generally depicting the flow of control of one of the local routing program of  FIG. 7  when providing an update to a central server;  
         [0021]      FIG. 10  is a flowchart generally depicting the flow of control of a global routing program for maintaining the routing information in the network;  
         [0022]      FIG. 11  is a flowchart generally depicting the flow of control of a for the nodes and the central server in order to maintain quality of service;  
         [0023]      FIG. 12  is a pair of event loops generally depicting the flow of control of the local routing program of  FIG. 7  when maintaining a routing database in a network without a central server; and  
         [0024]      FIG. 13  is a flowchart generally depicting the flow of control of the QOS program of  FIG. 7  when maintaining the QOS on the network. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0025]     Turning to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements, the invention is illustrated as being implemented in a suitable computing environment. Although not required, the invention will be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as programs, being executed by a computing device. Generally, programs include routines, other programs, objects, components, data structures, dynamic-linked libraries (DLLs), executable code, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention may be practiced with other computer system configurations, including hand-held devices, multi-processor systems, microprocessor based or programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. The invention may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, parts of a program may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.  
         [0026]     With reference to  FIG. 1 , an exemplary system for implementing the invention is shown. The system includes a general purpose-computing device  20 , including a processing unit  21 , a system memory  22 , and a system bus  23  that couples various system components including the system memory to the processing unit  21 . The system bus  23  may be any of several types of bus structures including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. The system memory includes read only memory (ROM)  24  and random access memory (RAM)  25 . A basic input/output system (BIOS)  26 , containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within the computing device  20 , such as during start-up, is stored in the ROM  24 . The computing device  20  further includes a hard disk drive  27  for reading from and writing to a hard disk  60 , a magnetic disk drive  28  for reading from or writing to a removable magnetic disk  29 , and an optical disk drive  30  for reading from or writing to a removable optical disk  31  such as a CD ROM or other optical media.  
         [0027]     The hard disk drive  27 , magnetic disk drive  28 , and optical disk drive  30  are connected to the system bus  23  by a hard disk drive interface  32 , a magnetic disk drive interface  33 , and an optical disk drive interface  34 , respectively. The drives and their associated computer-readable media provide nonvolatile storage of computer readable instructions, data structures, programs and other data for the computing device  20 . Although the exemplary environment described herein employs a hard disk  60 , a removable magnetic disk  29 , and a removable optical disk  31 , it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other types of computer readable media which can store data that is accessible by a computer, such as magnetic cassettes, flash memory cards, digital video disks, Bernoulli cartridges, random access memories, read only memories, and the like may also be used in the exemplary operating environment.  
         [0028]     A number of programs may be stored on the hard disk  60 , magnetic disk  29 , optical disk  31 , ROM  24  or RAM  25 , including an operating system  35 , one or more application programs  36 , other programs  37 , and program data  38 . A user may enter commands and information into the computing device  20  through input devices such as a keyboard  40 , which is typically connected to the computing device  20  via a keyboard controller  62 , and a pointing device, such as a mouse  42 . Other input devices (not shown) may include a microphone, joystick, game pad, wireless antenna, scanner, or the like. These and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit  21  through a serial port interface  46  that is coupled to the system bus, but may be connected by other interfaces, such as a parallel port, game port, a universal serial bus (USB), or a  1394  bus. A monitor  47  or other type of display device is also connected to the system bus  23  via an interface, such as a video adapter  48 . In addition to the monitor, computing devices typically include other peripheral output devices, not shown, such as speakers and printers.  
         [0029]     The computing device  20  may operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more devices within a network  63 , including another computing device, a server, a network PC, a peer device or other network node. These devices typically include many or all of the elements described above relative to the computing device  20 . The logical connections depicted in  FIG. 1  include a land-based network link  51 , for which there are many possible implementations, including a local area network (LAN) link and a wide area network (WAN) link. Land-based network links are commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets and the Internet and include such physical implementations as coaxial cable, twisted copper pairs, fiber optics, and the like. Data may transmitted over the network links  51  according to a variety of well-known transport standards, including Ethernet, SONET, DSL, T-1, and the like. When used in a LAN, the computing device  20  is connected to the network  51  through a network interface card or adapter  53 . When used in a WAN, the computing device  20  typically includes a modem  54  or other means for establishing communications over the network link  51 , as shown by the dashed line. The modem  54 , which may be internal or external, is connected to the system bus  23  via the serial port interface  46 . In a networked environment, programs depicted relative to the computing device  20 , or portions thereof, may be stored on other devices within the network  63 .  
         [0030]     In the description that follows, the invention will be described with reference to acts and symbolic representations of operations that are performed by one or more computing devices, unless indicated otherwise. As such, it will be understood that such acts and operations, which are at times referred to as being computer-executed, include the manipulation by the processing unit of the computer of electrical signals representing data in a structured form. This manipulation transforms the data or maintains it at locations in the memory system of the computer, which reconfigures or otherwise alters the operation of the computer in a manner well understood by those skilled in the art. The data structures where data is maintained are physical locations of the memory that have particular properties defined by the format of the data.  
         [0031]     However, while the invention is being described in the foregoing context, it is not meant to be limiting as those of skill in the art will appreciate that various of the acts and operation described hereinafter may also be implemented in hardware.  
         [0032]     Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown as being implemented on an exemplary computer network  63 . As best shown in  FIG. 2 , the exemplary computer network  63  includes a plurality of nodes  64  and may be linked to one or more other networks  90 . Each of the nodes  64  is a personal computer, server, workstation, or other computing device, and includes many or all of the components shown in  FIG. 1  with respect to the computing device  20 . The nodes  64  are linked for network communication with one another through a series of conventional network links  51 . As best shown in  FIG. 3 , each node  64  has a processing unit  21 , a system memory  22 , a network interface card  53  linked to one another by a system bus  23 , and may also have several components in addition to those described in  FIG. 1 , including a network interface driver  74 , and a wireless interface  79  comprising a wireless interface driver  78  and a wireless interface card  76 . The node  64  is communicatively linked to at least one of the network links  51 . The wireless interface  79  is communicatively linked to an antenna  80  and a transceiver  82  over a network link  51 . A communications program  84  is executable by the processing unit  21  to cooperate with the wireless driver  78  in order to send and receive data over the wireless medium  66  via the wireless interface  79 . Specifically, the wireless interface driver  78  converts messages from the communication program  84  into a transmissible format required by the wireless interface card  76 . The wireless interface card  76 , in turn, converts the message into a physical transport format in order to transmit the messages through the wireless medium  66 . The transceiver  82  receives the physical message from the wireless interface card  76 , creates the actual signals required for transmission over the wireless medium  66  and sends those signals to the antenna  80  for transmission. The wireless interface driver  78  also converts signals received through the wireless medium into messages that the communication program  84  can relay to the appropriate part of the node  64 .  
         [0033]     Referring again to  FIG. 2 , each node  64  is capable of communicating with a wireless medium  66  in order to send and receive messages in parallel to and from a plurality of other nodes. The wireless medium  66  may include one or more wireless networks, low-earth orbiting satellites, geosynchronous orbiting satellites, cellular transmission sites, microwave relays, and the like, which communicate over one or more portions of the light spectrum. It is contemplated that the network  63  may cover a geographic area of any size. For example, the network  63  may encompass an entire county and require only one transmission tower in the wireless medium  66 , or it may be worldwide, and require multiple satellites. It is also contemplated that the networks  90  may also implement the invention, thereby allowing them to achieve parallel communication internally, while communicating with the network  63  in a conventional manner.  
         [0034]     To send a message from one of the nodes  64  to a group of other nodes, and to process the message once received, the communication program  84  ( FIG. 3 ) may execute the procedure of  FIG. 4   a . At step  98 , the communication program  84  remains in a wait state until a predetermined event, such as a multicast message becoming available to send, or until a predetermined interval of time passes. At step  100 , the communications program  84  attaches a multicast group identifier to the message. The multicast group identifier represents the group of nodes to which the message is intended, and may also represent the entire set of nodes on the network  63 . The communications program  84  then broadcasts the message to the nodes  64  of the network  63  via the wireless medium  66  at step  102 . It then returns to a wait state at step  98 .  
         [0035]     To handle an incoming multicast message, the communication program  84  may execute the steps of the flowchart of  FIG. 4   b . At step  104 , the communication program  84  remains in a wait state until it receives a multicast message. When the multicast message arrives, the communication program  84  proceeds to step  106 , during which the communication program  84  reads the group identifier of the message to determine whether the receiving node is a member of the multicast group. If the receiving node is not a member, the communication program  84  running on that node ignores the message at step  108 . If the receiving node is a member, then the communication program  84  processes the message at step  110 . Steps  104 - 108  may also be performed by the wireless card  76  using hardware or software logic on the card  
         [0036]     The communication program  84  on the sending node may also send the broadcast or multicast message over a wireless channel that is dedicated to a particular multicast group of nodes. Similarly, the communication program  84  running on a receiving node in that group may monitor the dedicated multicast channel and treat any message received over that channel as a message that needs to be processed. If a dedicated channel is used in this manner, it would not be necessary for the communication program  84  of the sending node to add a multicast group identifier to the message. Having a dedicated multicast channel may be especially useful when the multicast group is relatively stable and well-defined, or when only a small number of multicast groups is required.  
         [0037]     Referring to  FIG. 5 , an example of how the invention may be used to maintain a network cache is shown. The illustrated network  63  has a plurality of nodes, but only the nodes  99 , hereinafter referred to as “cache nodes,” are used to maintain copies  92  of the network cache. To maintain the coherency of the network cache, each of the cache nodes  99  sends conventional cache updates to the other nodes by multicasting the updates over the wireless medium  66  as described above and shown in  FIG. 4   a . Since this multicast group is well-defined, it may be preferable to have a dedicated wireless channel over which the updates can be sent and received. Each copy  92  of the network cache is typically maintained on a separate computer (not shown) coupled to, but not necessarily co-located with the node  99 . The network cache may contain web pages, audio and video files and other information to make it available when needed for speed and consistency. Although the logic for actually updating a network cache is well-known, the invention allows the copies  92  of the cache to be updated throughout the network in parallel using a single transmission This results in a very large savings of network bandwidth and processing overhead when, for example, updating large web sites and/or video sites that may consist of hundreds of megabytes of data. It is contemplated that the cache node  99  may be a router or similar device, and that the functions of sending and receiving routing updates as well as sending and receiving broadcast cache updates may be performed by the communication program  84  and wireless interface  79  on the cache node  99 . It is also contemplated that the cache updates may be performed by using the land-based links  51  in the event the wireless link fails.  
         [0038]     Referring to  FIGS. 6-8 , an embodiment of the described method is used to maintain routing information and QOS in a network  63 . As best shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , each node  64  of the illustrated network is implemented as a router, gateway, or similar device and communicates via the wireless medium in the same manner as the exemplary node  64  of  FIG. 3 . The node  64  also includes a local routing program  71  to conventionally collect local routing data and transmit the local routing data via the communication program  84  and over the wireless medium  66  to a central server  68 . The node  64  may also include a QOS program  85  for requesting resources, such as a network route having the needed performance characteristics for a communication session, from the central server  68  in order to maintain the appropriate QOS.  
         [0039]     As shown in  FIG. 6 , the maintenance of the routing information is centralized at the central server  68 , and thus it is feasible to implement the central server  68  as a powerful computing device that is optimized to process large quantities of routing data and to make decisions regarding the assignment of network buffers, links, routes, and the like to specific communication sessions based on their QOS needs Also, each of the nodes  64  in this embodiment would not need to have the ability to make routing decisions although it may be desirable that they retain this ability in case they lose contact with the central server  68 .  
         [0040]     As best shown in  FIG. 8 , the central server  68  includes many or all of the components of the computing device  20  shown in  FIG. 1 . Like the nodes  64 , the central server  68  includes a wireless interface  79  comprising a wireless interface driver  78  and wireless interface card  76 . The wireless interface  79  is communicatively linked to a wireless antenna  80  via a transceiver  82 . A global routing program  96  sends and receives routing data via the communication program  84  as previously described. While not shown in  FIG. 6 , the central server  68  may also be linked to the nodes  64  via land connection in case the wireless communication fails.  
         [0041]     The central server  68  executes a global routing program  94  and a global QOS program  95 . The global routing program  94  uses the local routing data received from the nodes  64  to update a routing database  70 . The routing database  70  represents the current routing topology of the network, including the availability of the routes and the traffic along the routes. The global QOS program  95  receives requests for resources from the nodes  64  and, when the resources are available, allocates those resources by communicating with the appropriate nodes  64  in parallel via the wireless link. For example, a node  64  needing to transfer a large file may request that a high-bandwidth data path through the network  63  be reserved. The QOS program may then respond by choosing the best available route through the network for the transfer and attempting to allocate the CPU time and buffers needed in the various routers along the route using a standard QOS protocol.  
         [0042]     In order to provide the local routing data to the central server  68  so that the routing database  70  can be maintained, the local routing program  71  ( FIG. 7 ) executes on the node  64  according to the flowchart of  FIG. 9 . At step  150 , the local routing program  71  waits for an interval of time to elapse before proceeding to the next step. This interval may correspond to predefined update interval. Alternatively, the local routing program  71  may wait for an event, such as a significant change in the data traffic at the node  64 , before proceeding. At step  152 , the local routing program  71  conventionally collects the local routing data, which may include the status of communication between that node and any adjacent nodes, the volume of the data traffic at the node and the latency and error rate being experienced on each link attached to the node. At step  154 , the local routing program  71  creates a message containing the local routing data, and attaches an origin identifier to identify the node from which the message is being sent. At step  156 , the local routing program  71  transmits the message to the central server  68  via the wireless medium  66 , using a broadcast or multicast.  
         [0043]     To maintain the routing information in the network and to provide the latest version of the routing database  70  to the nodes  64 , the global routing program  96  executes on the central server  68  according to the flowchart of  FIG. 10 . It is assumed that the central server  68  starts the procedure with an initial version of the routing database  70 . This initial version may be determined dynamically by the server and represent the current state of the network upon entry into the procedure of  FIG. 10  or it may be one that is automatically loaded by the central server  68  at initialization.  
         [0044]     At step  160 , the global routing program  96  waits for the receipt of local routing data from the nodes  64 . It is contemplated that the global routing program  96  may wait for a predetermined number of updates to be received before continuing to the next step. For example, the global routing program  96  may wait until at least 50% of the nodes have reported their local routing data. Alternatively, the global routing program  96  may wait for a predetermined interval and then proceed with the remaining steps, regardless of how many updates have been received from the nodes  64 . At step  162 , the global routing program  96  updates the routing database  70  with the local routing data received from the nodes  64 . At step  164 , the global routing program  96  creates a routing update message representing the update made to the routing database at step  162 . Alternatively, the routing update message may include the updated routing database itself. At step  166 , the global routing program broadcasts the routing update message to the nodes  64 . The program then returns to a wait state at step  160 .  
         [0045]     To allocate network resources in order to maintain the proper QOS on the network  63 , the central server  68  and one or more of the nodes  64  can perform the procedure of  FIG. 11 . At step  200 , the QOS program  85  on a node  64  forms a request for a resource based on a request received from a personal computer, server, or other client of the network. At step  202 , the QOS program  85  transmits the request for a network resource to the central server  68  via the communication program  84  and the wireless medium  66  using a standard QOS protocol. The central server  68  receives the request and executes the global QOS program  95  to process the request. The global QOS program  95  may then wait for a certain interval in order to give other nodes the opportunity to submit requests. At step  206 , the global QOS program  95  attempts to allocate the requested resources over the wireless medium  66  using a QOS protocol. Such an attempt may involve repeatedly contacting the various nodes from which the resources will be required, looking for alternative resources, waiting for acknowledgments from the nodes, and the like. If the attempt is successful, then the global QOS program  95  sends a message to the requesting node indicating that the request has been granted at step  212 . If the attempt is unsuccessful, then the global QOS program  95  transmits a denial to the requesting node at step  210 .  
         [0046]     In another embodiment, the nodes  64  of the network depicted in  FIG. 6  may transmit and receive local routing data to and from one another without the use of the central reservation server  68 . To maintain the routing database  70  according to this embodiment, the local routing program  71  may execute event loops  182  and  184  asynchronously on a node  64  as shown in  FIG. 12 . At step  170  of event loop  182 , the local routing program  71  may be in a wait state until a predetermined event occurs, similar to the wait state described in step  160  of  FIG. 10 . At step  172 , the local routing program  71  collects the local routing data in a well known manner. At step  174 , the local routing program  71  creates a local routing message containing the local routing data, and attaches an origin identifier representing the node from which the-message is being sent. If there are other, non-router nodes in the network, the local routing message may also have a multicast group identifier that corresponds to the group of router nodes. The receiving nodes may use the multicast group identifier to determine whether to process or ignore the local routing message. Alternatively, the local routing program  71  may select a channel that is dedicated to the router nodes. At step  176 , the local routing program  71  broadcasts the message to each of the other nodes  64  of the network via the wireless medium  66 . The process then returns to step  170 .  
         [0047]     In event loop  184 , the local routing program waits until it receives local routing messages containing local routing data and having origin identifiers from the other nodes  64  via the wireless medium  66  at step  178 . The local routing program  71  then updates the routing database  70  using the local routing data received from the other nodes  64  at step  180 . The process then returns to step  178 .  
         [0048]     To maintain the proper QOS on the network  63 , the nodes  64  of  FIG. 6  may perform the procedure of the flowchart of  FIG. 13 . At step  250 , the QOS program  85  of a node forms a message that includes a request for a network resource based on the QOS needs for the data traffic it is currently handling. The request identifies the nodes from whom the resource is being requested as well as the nature of the resource being requested. At step  252 , the QOS program  85  broadcasts the request via the communication program  84  and the wireless medium  66  to the other nodes  64  using a QOS protocol. At Step  254 , the QOS program  85  on each node receiving the request processes the request by referring to the routing database  70  and determining whether the resource is available. At step  256 , each receiving node allocates the requested resource using a standard protocol, such as a two-phase commit protocol. The process then returns to step  250 .  
         [0049]     In view of the many possible embodiments to which the principals of this invention may be applied, it should be recognized that the embodiment described herein with respect to the drawing figures is meant to be illustrative only and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention. For example, a QOS resource request and new routing data as described above may be sent in a single message or as separate messages. Also, the invention may be used for other broadcasting or multicasting data other than the types of data described herein.  
         [0050]     It should also be recognized that the ordering and the specific implementation of the program steps described above and depicted in the flowcharts of FIGS.  4 ,  10 - 13  is may be altered in obvious ways.  
         [0051]     Those of skill in the art will recognize that the elements of the illustrated embodiment shown in software may be implemented in hardware and vice versa or that the illustrated embodiment can be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, the invention as described herein contemplates all such embodiments as may come within the scope of the following claims and equivalents thereof.