A network device includes multiple ports, for communicating over a communication network, and packet processing circuitry. The packet processing circuitry is configured to receive via the ports packets belonging to a plurality of multicast flows, to receive, for each of the multicast flows, (i) a first configuration that specifies clients that are to receive the multicast flow prior to a specified switch-over time, and (ii) a second configuration that specifies the clients that are to receive the multicast flow after the specified switch-over time, to forward the multicast flows via the ports in accordance with the first configuration, to extract from a field in at least one of the packets a value that is indicative of the switch-over time, and, based on the extracted value, to switch-over forwarding of the multicast flows from the first configuration to the second configuration simultaneously at the switch-over time.

D2D communication is appropriately controlled even in an environment in which a user terminal inside the coverage and a user terminal outside the coverage both exist. A method includes: a step of receiving, by UE 100-1 included in a plurality of UEs 100, from UE 100-n included in the plurality of UEs 100, information related to the UE 100-n; and a step of selecting, by the UE 100-1, a control user terminal for controlling D2D communication, based on the information related to the UE 100-n, from among the plurality of UEs 100.

Multicast transmissions are efficient but do not allow for individual acknowledgement that the data was received by each receiver. This is not acceptable for isochronous systems that require specific levels of QoS for each device. A multimedia communications protocol is provided that uses a novel multi-destination burst transmission protocol in multimedia isochronous systems. The transmitter establishes a bi-directional burst mode for multicasting data to multiple devices and receiving Reverse Start of Frame (RSOF) delimiters from each multicast-destination receiver in response to multiple SOF delimiters, thus providing protocol-efficient multi-destination acknowledgements.

A transmitting device comprising: a transmitter for transmitting data to a receiving device; and a controller for formatting the data to be transmitted from the transmitter, by dividing the data amongst a plurality of packets. The controller is configured to package each respective one of the packets with only a respective portion of an index sequence as an identifier field for distinguishing between the packets within the sequence, wherein at least one of the portions is alone insufficient to identify its respective packet. The controller is further configured to control the transmitter to transmit the packets including the respective portions of the index sequence, ordered such that the index sequence repeats cyclically over the transmission of the packets; thereby enabling the receiving device to determine a respective position in the index sequence for each of the packets by referencing a plurality of the portions together, and to thereby identify the packets.

A method, system, and/or computer program product alter a state of a transmitted message. One or more processors detect an initial broadcast of a message. The message includes a time-sensitive posting, which is related to an event that occurs at an event time. Processor(s) then compare a current time to the event time. In response to determining that the current time is within a predefined time period in proximity to the event time, processor(s) issue an instruction to alter a state of the message.

Methods, apparatuses, and systems are provided for improving utilization of the communications system through various “deltacasting” techniques for handling content sets (e.g., feeds or websites). In some embodiments, within a client-server context, content sets are anticipatorily pre-positioned in client dictionaries using multicasting techniques to share forward link capacity. Pre-positioning determinations are made according to byte-level data, set-level metadata, and/or user preferences. In some embodiments, when locally stored information from the content sets is requested by a user, deltacasting techniques are used to generate fingerprints for use in identifying and exploiting multicasting and/or other opportunities for increased utilization of links of the communications system.

Systems and methods for establishing communication between a terminal and a device are disclosed. According to certain embodiments, a method used in the device includes receiving a plurality of multicast packets from the terminal. The method also includes determining, according to the multicast packets, wireless connection information of a wireless network. The method further includes connecting to the wireless network according to the wireless connection information. The method further includes generating a notification indicating a password associated with the device.

There is provided route control with excellent flexibility even in a large-scale multicast transfer system. A multicast transfer system transfers a multicast packet arriving at a plurality of destinations between multicast communication devices 1, and a packet transfer processing unit 15 of the multicast communication device 1 transfers, when an interface of a multicast communication device 1 adjacent to itself is specified as a transfer destination of a received multicast packet, the multicast packet to the specified interface, and transfers, when the interface of the multicast communication device 1 adjacent to itself is not specified as the transfer destination of the received multicast packet, the multicast packet to an interface to a multicast communication device 1 specified as the destination.

Systems and methods are described for optimizing resource utilization in a communications network while also optimizing subscriber engagement with media content over the communications network. Requested content objects can be identified as delayable objects that can be queued for opportunistically delayed communication to both requesting and non-requesting subscribers. Queued delayed content objects are scored with an eye toward optimizing both subscriber engagement and utilization of opportunistically available communications link resources. For example, a storage manager calculates a likelihood that each subscriber will engage with the content if it is opportunistically delivered, and a scheduler calculates a priority order in which to queue each requested delayable content object. Content objects can then be multicast to the subscribers in priority order and with associated information that can be used by the subscribers to determine whether to locally store the content objects as they are opportunistically received.

The disclosed technology is generally directed to online chat management services. In one example of the technology, organization information is accessed for tenants. The organization information includes, for each organization, configuration information for the organization. Each organization belongs to a corresponding tenant. Worker service instances are scheduled to perform fills associated with the organizations, such that sufficient fills are performed for each organization according to the configuration information for the organizations in the accessed organization information. Each fill includes: causing artifacts associated with a function to be created, such that the artifacts associated with the function are configured based on the corresponding tenant. Artifact information associated with the created artifacts is received, including at least one unique identifier associated with the created artifacts for the function. Server-side caching of a cache record that includes the artifact information associated with the created artifacts for the function is performed.