Patent ID: 8165122

Claim:
A method of converting a unicast client request into a multicast client request, the method comprising: receiving the unicast client request; mapping a unicast client request destination IP address and a unicast client request destination port to a multicast record, wherein the multicast record comprises a multicast destination internet protocol (IP) address that corresponds to a lookup of both the unicast client request destination IP address and the unicast client request destination port; and transmitting a multicast client request that mirrors the received unicast client request to a plurality of destination servers using the multicast destination IP address that corresponds to the unicast client request destination IP address and the unicast client request destination port; determining, by accessing the multicast record, a plurality of outgoing interfaces that correspond to the plurality of destination servers, wherein the outgoing interfaces correspond to multicast destination IP addresses of the plurality of destination servers; and sending the multicast client request over the plurality of outgoing interfaces receiving a join request from a new destination server; and adding an outgoing interface corresponding to the new destination server to the multicast record.