In one embodiment, a first computer networking device executes an election algorithm to determine whether at least the first computer networking device or a second computer networking device is responsible for forwarding, to at least one receiving device, communications addressed to a specified group of computing devices. The first computer networking device may further store first data indicating that the first computer networking device is responsible for forwarding the communications. However, in response to the first computer networking device determining that it is no longer receiving the communications, it may store second data indicating that the first computer networking device is no longer responsible for forwarding the communications and may send, to the second computer networking device, third data indicating that the first computer networking device is not receiving the communications.

According to some embodiments, a system for reducing bandwidth usage is disclosed. The system comprises a computer server that receives a request to initiate a chat room, associated with digital content over a computer network and a computer readable medium comprising instructions that perform a method when executed by the centralized computer server. The method comprises initiating a multicast communication and assigning a unique identifier to the multicast communication. A set of messages associated with the unique identifier is received. If it is determined that a number of messages is greater than a pre-determined number of messages, determining a location of each of the users and grouping the users into a first group and into a second group where the first group are all located within a pre-defined radius based on a first determined location and the second group are all located within a pre-defined radius based on a second determined location.

A multicast data packet processing method in a point-to-multipoint (P2MP)-based bit index explicit replication (BIER) multicast tree, which includes an intermediate node configured to use P2MP to forward a BIER packet, includes receiving a first multicast data packet with a BIER header having a first label. The method further includes obtaining a first forwarding entry based on the first label. The first forwarding entry includes the first label, a first identifier identifying the multicast tree, and a second identifier instructing to perform P2MP forwarding. The method further includes obtaining, based on the first identifier, a second forwarding entry including the first identifier and a second label. The method further includes obtaining a second multicast data packet based on the second identifier, the second forwarding entry, and the first multicast data packet, and sending the second multicast data packet. The second multicast data packet includes the second label.

In an aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure is directed to network control topology that implements a centralized network controller to deterministically assign, and reassign, underlay multicast groups according to one or more policies and/or parameterized intent of the network administrator. The centralized network controller, in some embodiments, comprises a map server-map resolver controller configured to provide deterministic and centralized allocation of LISP underlay multicast groups, e.g., to provide security, traffic engineering, network and resource management.

An apparatus, system, and method for balancing traffic loads on beam outroutes that contain both multicast and unicast traffic. An outroute is designated for supplying at least multicast traffic within a beam of a satellite communication system. Terminals interested in receiving the multicast traffic are moved to the designated outroute. Traffic loads on all outroutes within the beam, including the designated outroute, are compared to determine if variations in the traffic loads exceed a predetermined threshold. A load balancing routine is performed to redistribute the traffic loads on all outroutes, while excluding any terminal that is actively receiving the multicast traffic from the load balancing routine.

A method, apparatus and computer program products are provided for facilitating coordinated content delivery in multicast/broadcast networks. One example method includes receiving content from a service provider during a content service period, identifying a content service break period, the content service break period characterized by a break in transmission of content from the service provider intended for user devices, fetching localized content, and causing delivery of the localized content during the content service break period, the delivery of the localized content being performed via Xcast to determine a most radio resource efficient delivery mechanism.

According to some embodiments, a system for reducing bandwidth usage is disclosed. The system comprises a computer server that receives a request to initiate a multicast communication over a computer network and a computer readable medium comprising instructions that perform a method when executed by the centralized computer server. The method comprises initiating a multicast communication and assigning a unique identifier to the multicast communication. A set of messages associated with the unique identifier is received. If it is determined that a number of messages is greater than a pre-determined number of messages, determining a location of each of the users and grouping the users into a first group and into a second group where the first group are all located within a pre-defined radius based on a first determined location and the second group are all located within a pre-defined radius based on a second determined location.

To enable fast startup of an audio/video receiver device and quick receipt of a first audio/video stream, is provided a method in an intermediate device in between a router device and the receiver device. The intermediate device snoops the communication between the audio/video receiver device and the router device to determine the protocol version of the router device to subscribe to a transmission of an audio/video stream and to determine that the receiver device is starting up. If the protocol version is a version not supporting Source Specific Multicast and the receiver device is booting, a message indicating the protocol version is transmitted to the receiver device during starting up of the receiver device so that the latter can switch to a protocol version supported by the IP multicast router device without further delay.

A network element includes multiple ports and forwarding circuitry. The ports are configured to serve as network interfaces for exchanging packets with a communication network. The forwarding circuitry is configured to receive a multicast packet that is to be forwarded via a plurality of the ports over a plurality of paths through the communication network to a plurality of destinations, to identify a path having a highest latency among the multiple paths over which the multicast packet is to be forwarded, to forward the multicast packet to one or more of the paths other than the identified path, using a normal scheduling process having a first forwarding latency, and to forward the multicast packet to at least the identified path, using an accelerated scheduling process having a second forwarding latency, smaller than the first forwarding latency.

A connectivity detection session creation method, a network device, and a system, to create a connectivity detection session in an EVPN. The method includes: receiving, by the first network device, a creation message of a connectivity detection session from the second network device, where the creation message of the connectivity detection session carries an inclusive multicast route of the second network device and session information of the second network device; determining, by the first network device, that a local inclusive multicast routing table includes the inclusive multicast route of the second network device; and creating, by the first network device, the connectivity detection session with the second network device based on the session information of the second network device.