Described are methods, systems and computer readable media for data object publishing/subscribing via a multicast key-value protocol.

Described are methods, systems and computer readable media for data object publishing/subscribing via a multicast key-value protocol.

An apparatus for helping with multicast domain name service (MDNS) discovery includes one or more processors configured to receive a first MDNS query from the resource-seeking device, receive a first MDNS response from the resource-providing device, and generate a second MDNS response according to the first MDNS response. The second MDNS response is generated at least by including a resource record from the first MDNS response and setting a time-to-live (TTL) value of the resource record in the second MDNS response to be lower than an original TTL value as specified for the resource record in the first MDNS response. The second MDNS response is sent to the resource-seeking device in response to the first MDNS query. A hospitality establishment may thereby soft assign a media device to a user device while retaining the ability to change the media device assigned to the user device.

An apparatus for helping with multicast domain name service (MDNS) discovery includes one or more processors configured to receive a first MDNS query from the resource-seeking device, receive a first MDNS response from the resource-providing device, and generate a second MDNS response according to the first MDNS response. The second MDNS response is generated at least by including a resource record from the first MDNS response and setting a time-to-live (TTL) value of the resource record in the second MDNS response to be lower than an original TTL value as specified for the resource record in the first MDNS response. The second MDNS response is sent to the resource-seeking device in response to the first MDNS query. A hospitality establishment may thereby soft assign a media device to a user device while retaining the ability to change the media device assigned to the user device.

A content distribution network includes a first server in communication with an anycast server that provides content via a unicast signal, and with a multicast server that provides the content via a multicast signal. The first server is configured to receive a list of source addresses associated with the content, and to provide a metadata file including an anycast Internet protocol address of the anycast server from the list of source addresses as an Internet protocol address of the content in response to a first request for the content. When the number of client devices requesting the content exceeds a first threshold, the first server receives an updated list of sources including a multicast Internet protocol address of a multicast server, and provides the multicast Internet protocol address of the multicast server as the Internet protocol address of the content in the metadata file.

A content distribution network includes a first server in communication with an anycast server that provides content via a unicast signal, and with a multicast server that provides the content via a multicast signal. The first server is configured to receive a list of source addresses associated with the content, and to provide a metadata file including an anycast Internet protocol address of the anycast server from the list of source addresses as an Internet protocol address of the content in response to a first request for the content. When the number of client devices requesting the content exceeds a first threshold, the first server receives an updated list of sources including a multicast Internet protocol address of a multicast server, and provides the multicast Internet protocol address of the multicast server as the Internet protocol address of the content in the metadata file.

A method for requesting subscription to a data stream distributed in a multicast group. The group includes sources including a server, a first client and a second client, the sources being interconnected via an electronic communications network. The multicast group is identified by an address. A stream transmitted to the multicast group address by a first source is received by a second source if the second source is already subscribed to the first source. The first client is subscribed to the server. The method includes the first client performing acts of: receiving from the server at least one management message including at least one quality parameter relating to the stream transmitted to the address of the multicast group by the second client; making a decision to subscribe to the second client, according to a criterion dependent on the at least one quality parameter received; and, in the case of a positive decision, transmitting a subscription request message to the second client.

In general, techniques are described in which packet replicators of a network device cooperate to generate a distributed hierarchical forwarding structure that the packet replicators then use to replicate and forward multicast packets to multiple output interfaces. For example, packet forwarding engines (PFEs) of a router each receive a new list of interfaces for a multicast packet stream. The PFEs individually construct a hierarchical forwarding structure based on the interface list. The hierarchical forwarding structure specifies interrelationships among the PFEs, which occupy nodes within the hierarchy. Each child PFE determines from the hierarchical forwarding structure the identity of a parent PFE and issues a token, constituting forwarding state for the distributed hierarchical forwarding structure, to the parent PFE. The parent PFE uses the token to identify packets of the multicast traffic to the child PFE during replication and forwarding of multicast packets proceeding according to the hierarchical forwarding structure.

A technique for selecting a network node from a plurality of nodes employing anycast addressing based on a priority. The plurality of nodes is configured with an anycast address. At each node, the anycast address is associated with a unique priority value that represents a priority associated with the node. Traffic destined for the anycast address is forwarded to the node whose priority value indicates the highest priority. If the node becomes unavailable, traffic destined for the anycast address is forwarded to a node whose priority value indicates the next highest priority, and so on.

In a communication network, a client has a plurality of network interfaces connecting it to a server able to deliver data streams on multicast groups. The client obtains a first request for subscription to a multicast group allowing to obtain a data stream. The client replaces the first subscription request with a plurality of second requests for subscription to a plurality of multicast subgroups able to supply data sub-streams which, once combined, allow to reconstruct the data stream. Each second subscription request is transmitted over a network interface with which the request was associated, so as to favour use of each available network interface. The client receives, over each network interface, a data sub-stream corresponding to the second subscription request transmitted over said network interface and reconstructs the data stream from the data sub-streams.