Application layer multicast system and intermediate node therefor

摘要

An application-layer multicast (ALM) system allowing high-speed ALM with precise routing control and simplified configuration. The routing control and data copying are separately performed with different hardware circuits: routing controller; and data copying device. The routing control is performed on the CPU of a computer, whereas the data copying is performed on a dedicated hardware circuit. This separate structure is employed in each intermediate node in the ALM network. The data copying device communicates with the routing controller within the same segment to manage the content data to be relayed by the intermediate system using a management ID uniquely assigned to the content data within the segment.