| 摘要 |
The invention provides an ATM transmission system which is adapted for the simultaneous transmission (i.e. multicasting) of IP data packets to a plurality of system users, using ATM as a carrier network, and which includes an IP/ATM network including clusters of Logical IP Systems (LISs), a multicast address resolution server (MARS) for each cluster, and a multicast router (MCR) for each cluster. The clusters are interconnected through the MCRs which form an inter-cluster backbone for the IP/ATM network. Each cluster includes an integral number of ATM hosts and LISs, the size of a cluster is dependent on physical and administrative constraints, and each LIS, within a cluster, is adapted to support a number of ATM hosts. Multicasting of IP data packets within a cluster utilizes a MARS protocol, and multicasting between clusters utilizes an inter-cluster multicasting protocol (ILMP). All ATM hosts, within a cluster, even if supported by different LISs, are adapted to be configured with an address of the same MARS. The system includes means for gaining access to the Internet, for example, a non-ATM IP Subnet connected to said inter-cluster backbone. Alternatively, one of the MCRs may be adapted for use as an entry point for the IP/ATM network to the Internet. |
