CN101409629B - Method, apparatus and system for establishing multicast transmission path and implementing multicast transmission - Google Patents

Abstract

The embodiment of the present invention discloses a method, device and system for establishing a multicast transmission path. The method includes: the multicast agent obtains service flow information corresponding to the service currently requested by the terminal from the multicast service system; The service flow information determines the address and port used to receive the service flow on itself, and saves the corresponding relationship between the address and port and the service flow information; through the multicast proxy determined The address and port enable the multicast service providing device to connect to the terminal that initiated the service request via the multicast proxy, and the multicast proxy saves its connection for sending the service flow to the next-level device Correspondence with the service flow information. By adopting the method, the routers in the network do not need to support the multicast protocol, and the cost and difficulty of realizing the multicast service can be reduced. The embodiment of the invention also discloses a method, device and system for realizing multicast transmission.

Description

Method, device and system for establishing multicast transmission path and realizing multicast transmission

technical field

The invention relates to the field of communication technology, in particular to a method, device and system for establishing a multicast transmission path and realizing multicast transmission.

Background technique

Currently, there are three communication modes in network communication: unicast, multicast and broadcast. Among them, in the unicast communication mode, the hosts associated with each other communicate point-to-point, and a host can only maintain communication with the host associated with it, and cannot receive information from hosts that are not associated with it; in the broadcast communication mode, as a broadcast The host of the information source sends information to all the hosts in the subnet, and all the hosts in the subnet can receive the information from the information source, thereby realizing point-to-multipoint communication; the multicast communication mode is between unicast Between the communication method and the broadcast communication method, the realization principle is: the host as the information source sends information to a group of hosts, and each host belonging to the group can receive the information. This communication method also belongs to point-to-multiple Click the communication method.

With the continuous improvement of network communication services, more and more point-to-multipoint communication methods are required to realize corresponding services. In the prior art, the above-mentioned unicast communication manner and multicast communication manner are generally adopted to realize point-to-multipoint communication.

When using the unicast communication method, the server as the information source point needs to establish a unicast connection with each receiving point receiving the information. Replication, to obtain multiple copies of the same information, and then use the unicast connection with the receiving point to send the copied information to the corresponding receiving point, thereby realizing point-to-multipoint communication. In this way, although point-to-multipoint communication can be realized, the server needs to make a large number of copies of the information to be sent, which will increase the load on the server and increase the requirements for server performance; at the same time, due to the need to copy multiple The same data flow is transmitted in the network through unicast connection respectively, which will form a relatively large flow of data transmission in the network, thereby increasing the burden on the network, and may even cause network congestion.

Using multicast communication to realize point-to-multipoint communication can better solve the above problems. In the process of using multicast communication to realize point-to-multipoint communication, the sender as the source of information does not need to copy data, but only needs to send a copy of the data to be sent through the network, and when the data arrives at the destination that needs to be copied and distributed After the receiving point, copy and distribute, so that only one copy of data transmission is required in each network segment. This method does not require a server to replicate data, and the network does not need to simultaneously transmit multiple copies of the same data in one network segment, thereby reducing the load on the server and the network.

Therefore, in the prior art, the IP multicast technology is used to realize the point-to-multipoint communication in the IP network. In this technology, IP multicast addresses and multicast protocols are used to complete the multicast distribution of services. Among them, the protocols used include the group membership protocol between the host and the router, and the multicast routing protocol between the router and the router. . In practical applications, the Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) is adopted as the group membership protocol, and the group membership information of the direct network segment of the router is established and maintained through IGMP. The multicast routing protocol includes an intra-domain multicast routing protocol and an inter-domain multicast routing protocol. The intra-domain multicast routing protocol uses a certain multicast routing algorithm to construct a multicast transmission path according to the multicast membership information maintained by IGMP. It is a multicast distribution tree, and uses the constructed multicast distribution tree to forward multicast data; the inter-domain multicast routing protocol publishes multicast-capable routing information and multicast service provider information between autonomous domains, In order to enable multicast data to be forwarded between domains.

Using the above-mentioned IP multicast technology, although it is possible to establish a multicast transmission path in the IP network and perform multicast transmission to realize point-to-multipoint communication, this technology requires that all routers on the path from the server to the receiving terminal support group However, in practical applications, some routers in the network do not support the multicast protocol due to the consideration of operating costs or the limitations of the equipment's own performance. As a result, this technology cannot be realized in some scenarios, making this technology Promotion on a larger scale has been limited.

In addition, due to the complexity of the multicast protocol, upgrading the router, especially on multiple routers to support the multicast protocol, will cause a large increase in the cost of the router; in addition, the current multicast protocol is less used, especially Cross-domain multicast is still in the research stage, which increases the difficulty in implementation for the IP multicast technology that forwards multicast data through a multicast protocol.

Contents of the invention

The purpose of the embodiments of the present invention is to provide a method, device and system for establishing a multicast transmission path and realizing multicast transmission, so that a multicast transmission path can also be established when the router does not need to support a multicast protocol, and the multicast transmission path can be established by using the The multicast transmission path realizes multicast transmission.

In order to achieve the purpose of the above invention, the embodiments of the present invention provide the following technical solutions:

A method for establishing a multicast transmission path, the method comprising:

The multicast agent obtains the service flow information corresponding to the service currently requested by the terminal from the multicast service system;

The multicast agent determines the address and port for receiving the service flow on itself according to the service flow information, and saves the corresponding relationship between the address and port and the service flow information;

Through the address and port determined on the multicast proxy, the multicast service providing device is connected to the terminal that initiates the service request via the multicast proxy, and the multicast proxy saves it for downlink The first-level device sends the correspondence between the connection of the service flow and the service flow information.

A device for establishing a multicast transmission path, the device comprising:

A service flow information acquisition unit, configured to obtain service flow information corresponding to the service currently requested by the terminal from the multicast service system;

an address and port determining unit, configured to determine, on the device, an address and a port for receiving the service flow according to the service flow information;

A connection unit, configured to connect the multicast service providing device to the terminal that initiates the service request via the device through the address and port determined by the address and port determination unit;

The correspondence storage unit is used to store the correspondence between the address and port and the service flow information, and the correspondence between the connection for sending the service flow to the next-level equipment and the service flow information.

A system for establishing a multicast transmission path, the system comprising:

a terminal for initiating a service request;

The multicast service system is used to receive the service request initiated by the terminal, and provide the multicast agent with the service flow information corresponding to the service request, and provide the service flow of the multicast service externally;

The multicast agent is used for: according to the service flow information provided by the multicast service system, determine the address and port used for the transmission of the service on itself, and save the address and port and the service flow information Correspondence of ; and,

Through the determined address and port, realize the connection between the multicast service providing device and the terminal that initiates the service request via the multicast agent, and save the connection for sending the service flow to the next-level device Correspondence with the service flow information.

A method for implementing multicast transmission, the method comprising:

The multicast agent receives the service flow sent by the multicast service providing device;

The multicast agent determines the address and port for receiving the service flow by itself, and determines the service flow information of the currently received service flow according to the correspondence between the address and port and the service flow information stored by it;

The multicast proxy determines the connection corresponding to the service flow according to the correspondence between the service flow information and the connection used to send the service flow to the next-level device, and forwards the service flow through the determined connection until Forward the service flow to the corresponding terminal.

A device for realizing multicast transmission, the device comprising:

The service flow receiving unit is used to receive the service flow sent by the multicast service providing device;

A correspondence storage unit, configured to: store the correspondence between addresses and ports and service flow information, and store the correspondence between the connection used by the device to send the service flow to the next-level device and the service flow information;

An identification information determining unit, configured to: determine the address and port where the device receives the service flow, and determine the address and port of the currently received service flow according to the correspondence between the address and port and the service flow information stored in the correspondence storage unit. business flow information;

A connection determining unit, configured to: according to the service flow information determined by the identification information determining unit, and the device for sending the service flow connection and information stored by the corresponding relationship storage unit to the next-level equipment The corresponding relationship of the service flow information determines the connection corresponding to the service flow;

The service flow sending unit is configured to: forward the service flow through the connection determined by the connection determining unit.

A system for realizing multicast transmission, the system comprising:

Multicast service provision equipment, used to provide service flow of multicast service;

The multicast agent is used to determine the address and port for receiving the service flow by itself, and determine and obtain the service flow information of the currently received service flow according to the corresponding relationship between the address and the port and the service flow information saved by it, and, according to the The corresponding relationship between the service flow information and the connection used by the multicast agent to send the service flow to the next-level device, determine the connection corresponding to the service flow, and forward the service flow to the corresponding terminal;

The terminal is used to receive service streams.

It can be seen that in the embodiment of the present invention, the multicast transmission path is established for the terminal through the multicast agent, and the multicast transmission path is realized by using the established multicast transmission path, so that each router in the network does not need to support the multicast protocol, thereby having It is beneficial to the rapid promotion of the multicast service. In addition, since the router does not need to support the multicast protocol, the cost of the router will not increase, and correspondingly, the specific realization of the multicast service is also easier.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is a flow chart of a method for establishing a multicast transmission path in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method for establishing a multicast transmission path in another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2-1 is a flowchart of a method for establishing a multicast transmission path in another embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a flow chart of a method for implementing pruning of a multicast tree in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a device for establishing a multicast transmission path in an embodiment of the present invention;

5 is a schematic diagram of a system for establishing a multicast transmission path in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method for implementing multicast transmission in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a device for implementing multicast transmission in an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of a system for implementing multicast transmission in an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed ways

Below, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to Fig. 1, in one embodiment of the present invention, realizing setting up multicast transmission path comprises the following steps:

Step 101: the multicast agent obtains service flow information corresponding to the service currently requested by the terminal from the multicast service system;

Step 102: The multicast agent determines the address and port for receiving the service flow on itself according to the service flow information, and saves the correspondence between the address and port and the service flow information;

Step 103: Through the address and port determined on the multicast agent, the multicast service provider device is connected to the terminal that initiates the service request via the multicast agent, and the multicast agent saves its user The corresponding relationship between the connection of the service flow and the service flow information is sent to the next-level device.

Through the above steps, the corresponding multicast transmission path is established for the terminal requesting the service, and each terminal that initiates the service request performs the above steps respectively, and then the multicast agent can be used in the network to establish their respective multicast transmission paths, thereby forming multicast tree.

Wherein, in a specific application, in order to realize the multicast forwarding of the service flow through the multicast agent, the method further includes:

The multicast agent will return the address and port information determined on the multicast agent for the corresponding service to the multicast service controller, and the multicast service controller will control the multicast service providing device that transmits the service according to the information The transmission of the service flow is redirected to the multicast proxy; of course, correspondingly, after the redirection is successful, the multicast service providing device returns a response message to the multicast service controller to inform the group Whether the redirection of the broadcast service controller is successful.

In a specific application, since the terminal withdraws from the multicast group, it is necessary to adjust the established multicast transmission path, that is to say, it is necessary to prune the established multicast tree. For this situation, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention In, described method also comprises the following steps:

Step 104: The multicast agent obtains the service flow information corresponding to the service currently requested by the terminal to end from the multicast service system;

Step 105: The multicast agent at least deletes the correspondence between the connection between the terminal requesting to end the service and the multicast agent and the service flow information according to the service flow information and the information of the terminal requesting to end the service.

Wherein, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, after each multicast agent deletes the corresponding relationship between the connection for sending the service flow to the next-level device and the service flow information, it may further include the following steps:

Judging whether the connection used to send the service flow to the next-level device has a corresponding relationship with other service flow information, and if not, delete the connection used to send the service flow to the next-level device according to the service flow information. The connection of the service flow saves the consumption of network resources.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the service flow information may be a service flow identifier and a service system identifier, the service flow identifier is unique in the service system, and the service system identifier is in the entire network or a multicast network is unique in . Wherein, the service flow identifier can be obtained from the multicast service system, specifically, the multicast service server in the multicast service system can assign and deliver the service flow identifier to the multicast agent, or the multicast system can Other servers in the system, such as the multicast service controller, complete the distribution and distribution of service flow identifiers, which does not affect the implementation of the present invention. The service system identification is to indicate the multicast service providing equipment, such as the identification of the address information of the multicast service server. In practical applications, the public IP address of the multicast service server can be used as the service system identification. Of course, it can also be Using other identifiers capable of representing the address information of the multicast service providing device as the service system identifier does not affect the implementation of the embodiments of the present invention. The multicast service providing device may be a multicast service server, or may be implemented by other types of devices, which does not affect the realization of the embodiment of the present invention.

Below in conjunction with a specific example, the method for establishing a multicast transmission path provided by the embodiment of the present invention is described in detail. In this embodiment, a multicast agent is used to implement the establishment of a multicast transmission path. Referring to FIG. 2, in this specific example In, realizing described method comprises the following steps:

Step 201: the terminal sends a service request to the multicast service controller to request the corresponding multicast service;

Taking the SIP terminal requesting to obtain the IPTV service as an example, the specific implementation of this step can be: the SIP terminal sends a SIP message to the multicast service controller to request the IPTV service provided by the corresponding multicast group, wherein the terminal sends the multicast service For the specific process of the controller requesting services, please refer to the standard SIP protocol, which will not be repeated here;

Step 202: The multicast service controller determines the corresponding service flow information for the requested service in the multicast service system according to the received service request, and the multicast service system sends the service flow information to The multicast agent corresponding to the terminal;

Wherein, in the specific implementation of the embodiment of the present invention, this step 202 can be implemented in at least the following two ways:

method one:

After the multicast service control receives the service request, it determines the service flow information corresponding to the requested service by itself, and sends the service flow information to the multicast agent corresponding to the terminal;

Method 2:

After receiving the service request, the multicast service control forwards the request to the multicast service server in the multicast service system, and the multicast service server determines the service flow information corresponding to the requested service, and sends The service flow information is sent to the multicast proxy corresponding to the terminal;

Wherein, in this embodiment, the service flow information includes a service flow identifier and a service system identifier, of course, other information that can represent the service and the multicast service providing device can also be used as the service flow information, and does not Affect the realization of the embodiments of the present invention;

Step 203: The multicast agent determines its own address and port for receiving the service flow according to the received service flow information, and saves the correspondence between the address and port and the service flow information, wherein the The address and port can be determined in the following ways:

The multicast agent judges whether the corresponding address and port have been allocated for the service flow information on itself according to the received service flow information, and if so, determines the address and port as used for receiving the service flow information address and port of the above-mentioned service flow, otherwise, then assign a new address and port on the multicast agent, and determine the port as the address and port for receiving the service flow;

In each embodiment of the present invention, two addresses and ports can also be allocated on the multicast agent at the same time, one address and port are the address and port used to receive the service flow, and the other address and port are used to send the service flow The address and port can be repeated, and the multicast proxy receives the service flow from the address and port used to receive the service flow, and sends the service flow from the address and port used to send the service flow.

Step 204: using the address and port determined in step 203 to realize the connection between the multicast agent and the multicast service providing device;

Wherein, if it has been judged in step 203 that the multicast agent has allocated a corresponding address and port for the corresponding service flow information, then in this step, the address and port can be directly used to communicate with the multicast service providing device. The established unicast connection is used to realize the connection between the multicast agent and the multicast service providing device;

If it is judged in step 203 that the multicast agent has not been assigned a corresponding address and port for the corresponding service flow information, then in this step, use the address and port distributed by the multicast agent to establish a connection with the multicast service providing device unicast connection between;

Step 205: Establish a unicast connection between the multicast agent and the terminal that initiates the service request, and store the correspondence between the unicast connection and the service flow information;

Wherein, one service flow information may correspond to multiple unicast connections. In a specific implementation, the corresponding relationship between it and the service flow information may be saved for each unicast connection. , saving a correspondence between a service flow information and a set composed of multiple unicast connections.

In the above steps, step 204 and step 205 have no order of execution, and these two steps can be executed successively, of course, can also be executed at the same time, which does not affect the implementation of the embodiment of the present invention.

Through the above steps, a multicast transmission path is established for the terminal, and multiple terminals repeat the above steps respectively to realize the establishment of a multicast tree, and then use the multicast tree to realize multicast transmission of services.

Referring to Figure 3, in this example, pruning the multicast tree can be achieved through the following steps:

Step 301: The terminal sends an end service request to the multicast service controller to request to exit the corresponding multicast group and end obtaining the corresponding service flow through the multicast group;

Step 302: The multicast service controller determines the corresponding service flow information for the service requested to be terminated in the multicast service system according to the received service end request, and the multicast service system uses the service flow information sent to the multicast agent corresponding to the terminal;

Similar to step 202, step 302 can also be implemented in at least two ways, since its specific implementation is similar to the two ways described in step 202, so it will not be repeated;

Step 303: According to the received service flow information, the multicast agent deletes the correspondence between the connection between the terminal requesting to end the service and the multicast agent and the service flow information;

Wherein, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, step 303 may further include:

Judging whether the connection between the terminal and the multicast agent still has a corresponding relationship with other service flow information, if not, delete the connection between the terminal and the multicast agent according to the service flow information, thereby saving network resources consumption;

Further, the connection between the multicast agent and the multicast service server can also be deleted when no terminal needs the service flow;

It should be noted that, in the above embodiments, the multicast service providing device may be a multicast service server, or other devices capable of providing service streams; the multicast agent may correspond to corresponding terminals one by one, It may also be that multiple terminals correspond to one multicast agent, which does not affect the realization of the embodiment of the present invention; in addition, the multicast agent can be set independently from the terminal, or can be set in the terminal, which does not affect the implementation of the embodiment of the present invention. accomplish.

In the above embodiments, it is described that a multicast transmission path is established through a multicast agent. In practical applications, it may also be necessary to establish a multicast transmission path through multiple multicast agents. See Figure 2-1. In this specific example In, realizing described method comprises the following steps:

Step 211 is the same as step 201, and will not be described again here;

Step 212: The multicast service controller determines the corresponding service flow information for the requested service in the multicast service system according to the received service request, and sends the service flow information to the service of the requested service Each multicast proxy that needs to pass through when the stream is transmitted to the terminal; wherein, step 212 can also be implemented in the two ways described in step 202;

Step 213: Each multicast agent determines the address and port for receiving the service flow on its own according to the received service flow information, and saves the corresponding relationship between the address and port and the service flow information, Wherein, each multicast agent determines the specific implementation process of address and port respectively as follows:

The multicast agent judges whether the corresponding address and port have been allocated for the service flow information on itself according to the received service flow information, and if so, determines the address and port as used for receiving the service flow information address and port of the above-mentioned service flow, otherwise, then assign a new address and port on the multicast proxy, and determine the port as the address and port for receiving the service flow;

Step 214: The multicast agents at all levels for transmitting the service flow use the addresses and ports determined on themselves in step 213 to respectively realize the connection with the equipment at the upper level for transmitting the service flow; Among them, for the first-level multicast agent, in this step, realize the connection with the multicast service providing equipment; for other levels of multicast agents, in this step, realize the For each multicast agent, the specific process of realizing the connection is as follows:

If it has been judged in step 213 that the multicast agent has allocated a corresponding address and port for the corresponding service flow information, then in this step, the address and port can be directly used to communicate with the upper level for transmitting the The unicast connection that has been established between the devices of the service flow is used to realize the connection between the multicast agent and the device used to transmit the service flow at the upper level;

If in step 213 it is judged that the multicast agent has not been assigned a corresponding address and port for the corresponding service flow information, then in this step, the address and port allocated by the multicast agent are used to establish a link with the upper level for a unicast connection between devices transmitting said traffic flow;

Step 215: The last level of equipment used to transmit the service flow is connected to the terminal;

Step 216: Each of the multicast proxies saves the corresponding relationship between the connection used to send the service flow to the next-level device and the service flow information.

Wherein, the above step 214 and step 215 have no order of execution, and these two steps can be executed successively, of course, can also be executed at the same time, which does not affect the realization of the embodiment of the present invention.

Similarly, in this embodiment, the problem of pruning the multicast tree will also be involved, and its specific implementation process is similar to the pruning process described in Figure 3. It should be noted that:

When each multicast agent is pruning the multicast tree, the connection between the multicast agent and the terminal and the corresponding relationship between the service flow information can be directly deleted, but for the multicast agent and its upper level to transmit the service flow Whether to delete the corresponding relationship between the connection between the devices and the service flow information needs to be determined according to the occupancy of the connection: if there are other terminals occupying the connection, the corresponding relationship will not be deleted; if there is no terminal When the connection is occupied, the corresponding relationship is deleted.

For the method provided in the above embodiment, the embodiment of the present invention also provides a device for establishing a multicast transmission path, see FIG. 4, the device includes:

A service flow information obtaining unit 401, configured to obtain service flow information corresponding to the service currently requested by the terminal from the multicast service system;

An address and port determining unit 402, configured to determine an address and a port for receiving the service flow on the device according to the service flow information;

The connecting unit 403 is configured to use the address and port determined by the address and port determining unit 402 to realize the connection between the multicast service providing device and the terminal that initiates the service request via the device;

A correspondence storage unit 404, configured to store the correspondence between the address and port and the service flow information, and the correspondence between the connection that the device sends the service flow to the next-level device and the service flow information .

Wherein, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the device may further include a correspondence relationship deletion unit 405, which is configured to: obtain from the service flow information acquisition unit the service flow information corresponding to the service currently requested by the terminal to end Delete the correspondence between the connection between the terminal requesting to end the service and the multicast agent and the service flow information stored in the correspondence storage unit 404 .

Regarding the methods and devices provided in the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present invention also provide a system for establishing a multicast transmission path, as shown in FIG. 5 , the system includes:

Terminal 501, configured to initiate a service request;

The multicast service system 502 is configured to receive a service request initiated by a terminal, and provide a multicast agent with service flow information corresponding to the service request, and provide a service flow of a multicast service externally;

The multicast agent 503 is used for: according to the service flow information provided by the multicast service system, determine the address and port used for the transmission of the service on itself, and save the address and port and the service flow correspondence of information; and,

Through the determined address and port, realize the connection between the multicast service providing device and the terminal that initiates the service request via the multicast agent, and save the connection for sending the service flow to the next-level device Correspondence with the service flow information.

Wherein, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the multicast service system includes a multicast service controller 5021 and a multicast service server 5022, and the multicast service controller 5021 is used to receive a service request sent by a terminal, and send a request to the terminal Provide service flow information corresponding to the service request, the multicast service server 5022 is used to provide the service flow of the multicast service externally; of course, in other embodiments of the present invention, the multicast service server 5022 can also be used for Providing the terminal with the service flow information corresponding to the service request does not affect the implementation of the embodiments of the present invention.

In the system, the multicast proxy 503 can be set independently of the terminal 501, or can be set together with the terminal 501, and the multicast proxy 503 can correspond to the terminal 501 one by one, or can be set with the terminal 501. The correspondence between multiple terminals 501 does not affect the implementation of this embodiment of the present invention.

In the system, there may be one or more multicast agents 503, which does not affect the implementation of the present invention.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a method for realizing multicast transmission is provided. Referring to FIG. 6, the method includes the following steps:

Step 601: The multicast agent receives the service flow sent by the multicast service providing device;

Step 602: The multicast agent determines its own address and port for receiving the service flow, and determines to obtain the service flow information of the currently received service flow according to the corresponding relationship between the address and port and the service flow information stored by it;

Step 603: The multicast agent determines the connection corresponding to the service flow according to the correspondence between the service flow information and the connection used to send the service flow to the next-level device, and performs service flow through the determined connection Forward until the service flow is forwarded to the corresponding terminal.

In order to illustrate the method of implementing multicast transmission more clearly, taking the establishment of a multicast transmission path through multiple multicast agents as an example, the implementation of multicast transmission includes:

After receiving the service flow from the multicast service server (when i=1) or the i-1 (when i>1) level multicast agent, the i-th multicast agent for transmitting the service flow copies the service flow Distribution, the specific process is as follows:

The i-th level multicast agent receives a service flow from the multicast service server (when I=1) or the i-1 (when I>1) level multicast agent;

The i-level multicast agent finds connections between all i-level multicast agents and i+1-level multicast agents (when i<n) or terminals (when i=n) according to the service flow information;

The i-th level multicast agent copies a copy of the unicast connection from the i- 1 (when i>1) level multicast proxy or multicast service server (when i=1) receives the service flow;

Send the replicated service flow from each found unicast connection with the i+1th level multicast agent (when i<n-1) or terminal (when i=n-1);

Repeat the above steps until the service flow is transmitted to the terminal.

Wherein, the service flow information may be a service flow identifier and a service system identifier, and the multicast service providing device may be a multicast service server, or may be implemented by other types of equipment, which does not affect the implementation of the embodiment of the present invention .

For the method for realizing multicast transmission provided above, the embodiment of the present invention also provides a device for realizing multicast transmission, as shown in FIG. 7 , the device includes:

A service flow receiving unit 701, configured to receive a service flow sent by a multicast service providing device;

The correspondence storage unit 702 is configured to: store the correspondence between addresses and ports and service flow information, and store the correspondence between the connection used by the device to send the service flow to the next-level device and the service flow information;

The identification information determination unit 703 is configured to: determine the address and port for the device to receive the service flow, and determine the currently received service flow according to the correspondence between the address and port and the service flow information stored by the correspondence storage unit 702 Flow business flow information;

The connection determining unit 704 is configured to: according to the service flow information determined by the identification information determining unit 703, and the connection and the information stored by the means for sending the service flow to the next-level equipment stored in the corresponding relationship saving unit 702 The corresponding relationship of the business flow information is determined to determine the connection corresponding to the business flow;

The service flow sending unit 705 is configured to: forward the service flow through the connection determined by the connection determining unit 704 .

Correspondingly, the embodiment of the present invention also provides a system for implementing multicast transmission, see FIG. 8, the system includes:

A multicast service providing device 801, configured to provide a service flow of a multicast service;

The multicast agent 802 is configured to determine the address and port for receiving the service flow by itself, and determine and obtain the service flow information of the currently received service flow according to the corresponding relationship between the address and the port and the service flow information stored therein, and, according to The corresponding relationship between the service flow information and the connection used by the multicast proxy to send the service flow to the next-level device, determine the connection corresponding to the service flow, and forward the service flow to the corresponding terminal;

Terminal 803, configured to receive service streams.

Wherein, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the multicast service server is used as the multicast service providing device 801. In other embodiments of the present invention, other devices may also be used as the multicast service providing device 801, which does not affect the present invention. Realization of an embodiment of the invention.

Wherein, in the system, there may be one or more multicast agents 802, which does not affect the implementation of the present invention.

The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it should be pointed out that, for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the principle of the present invention, some improvements and modifications can also be made, and these improvements and modifications can also be made. It should be regarded as the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims (21)

1. A method for setting up a multicast transmission path, characterized in that the method comprises: The multicast agent obtains the service flow information corresponding to the service currently requested by the terminal from the multicast service system; The multicast agent determines the address and port for receiving the service flow on itself according to the service flow information, and saves the corresponding relationship between the address and port and the service flow information; Through the address and port determined on the multicast proxy, the multicast service providing device is connected to the terminal that initiates the service request via the multicast proxy, and the multicast proxy saves it for downlink The first-level device sends the correspondence between the connection of the service flow and the service flow information. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the method further comprises: The multicast agent obtains service flow information corresponding to the service currently requested by the terminal from the multicast service system; The multicast agent at least deletes the correspondence between the connection between the terminal requesting to end the service and the multicast agent and the service flow information according to the service flow information and the information of the terminal requesting to end the service. 3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, after the multicast agent deletes the correspondence, the method further comprises: Judging whether the connection used to send the service flow to the next-level device has a corresponding relationship with other service flow information, and if not, delete the connection used to send the service flow to the next-level device according to the service flow information. The connection of the business flow. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein when the multicast agent is a multicast agent, the multicast service provider device is connected to the terminal that initiates the service request via the multicast agent. include: Using the determined address and port, realize the connection between the multicast agent and the multicast service providing device, and establish the connection between the multicast agent and the terminal that initiates the service request. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein when the multicast agent is at least two multicast agents, the multicast service providing device communicates with the terminal that initiates the service request via the multicast agent. Connections specifically include: The multicast agents at all levels used to transmit the service flow use the addresses and ports determined on themselves to respectively realize the connection with the equipment used to transmit the service flow at the upper level, and, the last one The equipment used to transmit the service flow at the level is connected to the terminal. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, the specific implementation of the multicast agent obtaining the service flow information from the multicast service system is as follows: The multicast agent obtains the service flow information from the multicast service controller; or, The multicast proxy obtains the service flow information from the multicast service server. 7. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein the service flow information is a service flow identifier and a service system identifier. 8. A device for establishing a multicast transmission path, characterized in that the device comprises: A service flow information acquisition unit, configured to obtain service flow information corresponding to the service currently requested by the terminal from the multicast service system; an address and port determining unit, configured to determine, on the device, an address and a port for receiving the service flow according to the service flow information; A connection unit, configured to connect the multicast service providing device to the terminal that initiates the service request via the device through the address and port determined by the address and port determination unit; The correspondence storage unit is used to store the correspondence between the address and port and the service flow information, and the correspondence between the connection for sending the service flow to the next-level equipment and the service flow information. 9. The device of claim 8, further comprising: A correspondence relationship deleting unit, configured to: delete the terminal requesting to end the service stored in the correspondence relationship storage unit according to the service flow information obtained from the service flow information acquisition unit and corresponding to the service currently requested by the terminal to end the service The corresponding relationship between the connection with the multicast agent and the service flow information. 10. A system for establishing a multicast transmission path, characterized in that the system comprises: a terminal for initiating a service request; The multicast service system is used to receive the service request initiated by the terminal, and provide the multicast agent with the service flow information corresponding to the service request, and provide the service flow of the multicast service externally; Multicast agent, including: a service flow information acquisition unit, an address and port determination unit, a connection unit, and a correspondence relationship storage unit; A service flow information acquisition unit, configured to obtain service flow information corresponding to the service currently requested by the terminal from the multicast service system; an address and port determining unit, configured to determine, on the device, an address and a port for receiving the service flow according to the service flow information; A connection unit, configured to connect the multicast service providing device to the terminal that initiates the service request via the device through the address and port determined by the address and port determination unit; The correspondence storage unit is used to store the correspondence between the address and port and the service flow information, and the correspondence between the connection for sending the service flow to the next-level equipment and the service flow information. 11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the multicast service system comprises a multicast service controller and a multicast service server, wherein: The multicast service controller is configured to: receive a service request sent by the terminal, and provide the terminal with service flow information corresponding to the service request; The multicast service server is used to provide the service flow of the multicast service externally. 12. The system according to claim 10, wherein the multicast service system comprises a multicast service controller and a multicast service server, wherein: The multicast service controller is configured to: receive a service request sent by the terminal; The multicast service server is configured to provide a service flow of the multicast service externally, and provide service flow information corresponding to the service request to the terminal. 13. The system according to any one of claims 10-12, wherein the multicast agent and the terminal are set independently of each other, or the multicast agent is set in the terminal. 14. The system according to any one of claims 10-12, characterized in that there are at least two multicast agents. 15. A method for realizing multicast transmission, characterized in that the method comprises: The multicast agent receives the service flow sent by the multicast service providing device; The multicast agent determines the address and port for receiving the service flow by itself, and determines the service flow information of the currently received service flow according to the correspondence between the address and port and the service flow information stored by it; The multicast proxy determines the connection corresponding to the service flow according to the correspondence between the service flow information and the connection used to send the service flow to the next-level device, and forwards the service flow through the determined connection until Forward the service flow to the corresponding terminal. 16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the service flow information is a service flow identifier and a service system identifier. 17. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that there are at least two multicast agents. 18. A device for realizing multicast transmission, characterized in that the device comprises: The service flow receiving unit is used to receive the service flow sent by the multicast service providing device; A correspondence storage unit, configured to: store the correspondence between addresses and ports and service flow information, and store the correspondence between the connection used by the device to send the service flow to the next-level device and the service flow information; An identification information determining unit, configured to: determine the address and port where the device receives the service flow, and determine the address and port of the currently received service flow according to the correspondence between the address and port and the service flow information stored in the correspondence storage unit. business flow information; A connection determining unit, configured to: according to the service flow information determined by the identification information determining unit, and the device for sending the service flow connection and information stored by the corresponding relationship storage unit to the next-level equipment The corresponding relationship of the service flow information determines the connection corresponding to the service flow; The service flow sending unit is configured to: forward the service flow through the connection determined by the connection determining unit. 19. A system for realizing multicast transmission, characterized in that the system comprises: Multicast service provision equipment, used to provide service flow of multicast service; The multicast agent includes: a service flow receiving unit, a corresponding relationship storage unit, an identification information determination unit, a connection determination unit, and a service flow sending unit; The service flow receiving unit is used to receive the service flow sent by the multicast service providing device; A correspondence storage unit, configured to: store the correspondence between addresses and ports and service flow information, and store the correspondence between the connection used by the device to send the service flow to the next-level device and the service flow information; An identification information determining unit, configured to: determine the address and port where the device receives the service flow, and determine the address and port of the currently received service flow according to the correspondence between the address and port and the service flow information stored in the correspondence storage unit. business flow information; A connection determining unit, configured to: according to the service flow information determined by the identification information determining unit, and the device for sending the service flow connection and information stored by the corresponding relationship storage unit to the next-level equipment The corresponding relationship of the service flow information determines the connection corresponding to the service flow; a service flow sending unit, configured to: forward the service flow through the connection determined by the connection determination unit; The terminal is used to receive service streams. 20. The system according to claim 19, wherein the multicast service providing device is a multicast service server. 21. The system according to claim 19, characterized in that there are at least two multicast agents.

Images