Method of providing bidirectional communication in a network for multicasting Internet Protocol data streams and network for applying the method

摘要

This invention provides an efficient means of enabling bi-directional communication in a multicast IP network using ATM transport. Packet forwarding rules at the end-user modem and at the multicast router separate unidirectional multicast and bi-directional control flows. This enables the user to control the process of multicast services such as video-on-demand, while ensuring that the bi-directional flows are carried over the network in an efficient manner.