| 摘要 |
<p>The invention is based on a highly efficient protocol for the delivery of high-quality multimedia communication services, such as video multicasting, video on demand, real-time interactive video telephony, and high-fidelity audio conferencing over a packet-switched network. The invention can be expressed in a variety of ways, including methods, systems, and data structures. One aspect of the invention involves a method in which a packet (10) of multimedia data is forwarded through a plurality of logical links in a packet-switched network using a datagram address contained in the packet (i.e., datagram address-based routing). Address information in partial address subfields of the datagram address self-directs the packet through a plurality of top-down logical links (70). (The plurality of top-down logical links are a subset of the plurality of logical links.) The packet remains unchanged as it is transferred along multiple links in the plurality of logical links.</p> |
