Patent ID: 7496602

Claim:
At a peer computer in a peer-to-peer communication system in which one or more peers communicate messages with one or more other peers in a peer group, a method of managing peer group communication within a network namespace, comprising the acts of: identifying a first peer group of one or more peers associated in a peer-to-peer communication system, the first peer group being associated with a first namespace wherein a namespace identifies a set of names in hierarchical format; sending a group join request message to the first namespace; and receiving a confirmation message from the first namespace that membership in the first peer group has been accepted, such that the peer has been added to a membership list of the first peer group, and such that the peer is subscribed to the first namespace, wherein the membership list for the first peer group comprises one or more peers and an identifier of a second peer group of one or more peers, the second peer group being associated with a second namespace wherein messages sent to the first peer group are forwarded to each member of the membership list such that each of the one or more peers of the first peer group and also each of the one or more peers of the second peer group receive the messages.