Patent ID: 7228562

Claim:
A stream server apparatus connected to a first network and a second network, said stream server apparatus comprising: wherein said first network connects said stream server apparatus and a first client apparatus and a firewall apparatus; wherein said second network connects said stream server apparatus and a second client apparatus and said firewall apparatus, wherein said stream server apparatus communicates via a first path that includes said first network and said first client apparatus, via a second path that includes said first network and said firewall apparatus and said second client apparatus, and via a third path that includes said second network and said second client apparatus; a first interface which transmits and receives control request packets and data packets to and from said first client apparatus via the first path and being capable of transmitting and receiving control request packets to and from said second client apparatus via said second path; a second interface which transmits and receives data packets to and from the second client apparatus via the third path; a stream transport management module which specifies said first interface or said second interface in accordance with a network attribute of the first client apparatus and the second client apparatus, and specifies distribution protocol for each client apparatus based on a network to which said client apparatus is connected, wherein, if the destination of transmission is said first client apparatus which is connected to said first network, then bandwidth control is executed and said first client apparatus is notified of a port number identifying a port through which communications are to be conducted, wherein if the destination of transmission is said second client apparatus which is connected to said second network, then bandwidth control is not executed by said stream server apparatus and said second client apparatus is notified of a dummy port number identifying a dummy port through which communications are not conducted; a bandwidth management processing module which dynamically assigns a port and identifies the port by a port number and executes the bandwidth control based on a bandwidth control protocol for controlling a bandwidth of the stream data distribution; and a process module which executes a communication process based on communication protocols related to said first and second client apparatuses via said first interface or the second interface.