Patent ID: 8867539

Claim:
A protocol converter, comprising: a memory including processor executable instructions; and a processor that executes the instructions to perform operations comprising: receiving an anycast request for content from a client system; determining if the protocol converter is currently receiving the content through a multicast session; utilizing a mapping of a uniform resource locator path to the multicast session to obtain multicast information associated with the multicast session; joining the multicast session if the protocol converter is not currently receiving the content and based on the multicast information; receiving the content as an end point of the multicast session; terminating an application layer protocol used by the multicast session; performing error detection and correction on the content; formatting the content for communication to the client system, including re-encapsulating the content in a format suitable for unicast transmission; reordering packets that are associated with the content and that are received out of an original order; providing the content to the client system in the original order and in a unicast communication separate from the multicast session; withdrawing a route to the protocol converter using an anycast address associated with the anycast request; withdrawing the protocol converter from the multicast session in response to providing the content to the client system; and wherein the operations further comprise an ability to receive a request for the content from a second client system and provide the content to the second client system in a second unicast communication separate from the multicast session.