METHOD FOR ENGINEERING PATHS FOR MULTICAST TRAFFIC

摘要

A method to engineer paths for multicast traffic in an IP network, by directing the control messages to setup multicast trees on engineered paths, is disclosed. The multicast traffic engineering process is separated from the multicast route setup and the resources and the paths for multicast data delivery can be aggregated and independently allocated. Resources are allocated on the same trip when paths are selected and setup, and this prevents data from being forwarded on branches where resources have not been yet allocated. The trafic can be statistically multiplexed enabling the network operators to have control over the topology of the multicast trees and to provide differentiated services in a scalable manner.