Method, apparatus, system, and article of manufacture for providing distributed convergence nodes in a communication network environment

Abstract

A system, apparatus, article of manufacture, and method provides one or more distributed convergence nodes referred to as “Supernodes”, each of which is embodied as a functional technology component within an application that automatically determines whether said component should become “active” and assume the responsibility of forwarding IP multicast data present on a LAN (which supports IP multicast communication) to a “Routing Supernode” via a WAN (which does not support IP multicast communication). The Routing Supernode, in turn, is responsible for forwarding that traffic to other Supernodes present on other LANs. The traffic sent to and from the Routing Supernode is sent via unicast communication. All Supernodes are responsible not only for forwarding traffic present on their respective LAN across the WAN to a Routing Supernode, but they are also responsible for forwarding traffic received over the WAN from the Routing Supernode onto their own respective LANs. An election process determines which device in a LAN is to operate as a SuperNode.

1 . A method for communicating in a communication network environment, said environment including at least a first, a second, and a third local area network (LAN) separated from each other by a wide area network (WAN), said LANs being IP-multicast-capable and said WAN being non-IP-multicast-capable, the method comprising:
 electing a device in said first LAN as a first distributed convergence node;   designating a device in said second LAN as a second distributed convergence node, said second distributed convergence node being a routing distributed convergence node;   electing a device in said third LAN as a third distributed convergence node; and   communicating traffic between said first and third distributed convergence nodes via said routing distributed convergence node, wherein said traffic can be communicated between devices within each of said LANs using IP multicast communication, and wherein said traffic can be communicated between said first distributed convergence node and said routing distributed convergence node and between said routing distributed convergence node and said second distributed convergence node using unicast communication.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein designating the device in said second LAN as the second distributed convergence node includes electing said device as the routing distributed convergence node. 
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein electing a device in any of said LANs as a distributed convergence node includes electing a component of an application in said device as a distributed convergence node. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said communicating traffic between said first and third distributed convergence nodes via said routing distributed convergence node includes transparently communicating across said WAN via said routing distributed convergence node, such that each of said first and third distributed convergence nodes communicate with each other via said routing distributed convergence node as if said WAN is IP-multicast-capable. 
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one or more of:
 determining a site identifier associated with each distributed convergence node;   performing dynamic oversending;   applying security to traffic sent to and from said routing distributed convergence node; or   performing encapsulation of data contained in said traffic sent to and from said routing distributed convergence node.   
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein each distributed convergence node is adapted to receive first traffic from any other device in their respective LAN via IP multicast communication and is adapted to forward said first traffic to said routing distributed convergence node via unicast communication, and is further adapted to receive second traffic from said routing distributed convergence node via unicast communication and to distribute said second traffic to devices in their respective LAN via IP multicast communication. 
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said electing includes using a state machine process to activate a state of a device to indicate election thereof, a deactivated state of said device indicating non-election thereof. 
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said communicating includes:
 performing a session setup stage between said first distributed convergence node and said routing distributed convergence node;   performing a registration stage between said first distributed convergence node and said routing distributed convergence node;   conducting a data streaming stage between said first distributed convergence node and said routing distributed convergence node and between said routing distributed convergence node and said third distributed convergence node;   performing an unregistration stage between said first distributed convergence node and said routing distributed convergence node; and   performing a session teardown stage between said first distributed convergence node and said routing distributed convergence node.   
   
   
       9 . A system for communicating in a communication network environment, said environment including at least a first, a second, and a third local area network (LAN) separated from each other by a wide area network (WAN), said LANs being IP-multicast-capable and said WAN being non-IP-multicast-capable, the system comprising:
 first distributed convergence node means in said first LAN for communicating traffic with devices in said first LAN using IP multicast communication and for communicating traffic from said devices over said WAN via unicast communication;   second distributed convergence node means in said second LAN for receiving said traffic communicated via unicast communication over said WAN from said first distributed convergence node means, said second distributed convergence node means being a routing distributed convergence node means for forwarding said traffic over said WAN using unicast communication;   third distributed convergence node means in said third LAN for receiving said traffic communicated by said routing distributed convergence node over said WAN using unicast communication, said third distributed convergence node means further being for distributing said received traffic to devices in said third LAN via IP multicast communication and for communicating traffic from said devices over said WAN to said routing distributed convergence node via unicast communication; and   electing means for electing a device as first, second, and third distributed convergence nodes, said distributed convergence nodes being dynamically changeable as a result of said electing.   
   
   
       10 . The system of  claim 9 , further comprising at least one or more of:
 means for determining a site identifier associated with each distributed convergence node;   means for performing dynamic oversending;   means for applying security to traffic sent to and from said routing distributed convergence node;   means for detection duplicate packets in traffic; or   means for performing encapsulation of data contained in said traffic sent to and from said routing distributed convergence node.   
   
   
       11 . The system of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 means for performing a session setup stage between said first distributed convergence node and said routing distributed convergence node;   means for performing a registration stage between said first distributed convergence node and said routing distributed convergence node;   means for conducting a data streaming stage between said first distributed convergence node and said routing distributed convergence node and between said routing distributed convergence node and said third distributed convergence node;   means for performing an unregistration stage between said first distributed convergence node and said routing distributed convergence node; and   means for performing a session teardown stage between said first distributed convergence node and said routing distributed convergence node.   
   
   
       12 . The system of  claim 9  wherein said first, second, and third distributed convergence node means include a component of an application residing on a device. 
   
   
       13 . An apparatus adapted to be used in a communication network environment, said environment including at least a first, a second, and a third local area network (LAN) separated from each other by a wide area network (WAN), said LANs being IP-multicast-capable and said WAN being non-IP-multicast-capable, the apparatus comprising:
 a device having a distributed convergence node module, said distributed convergence node module including:   an elector module to elect said device as a first distributed convergence node in said first LAN;   an identifier module to identify said device from other devices in said first LAN, including identification of said device as the elected first distributed convergence node; and   a network interface in cooperation with a processor to communicate with said other devices in said first LAN using IP multicast communication and to communicate with a routing distributed convergence node in said second LAN via said WAN using unicast communication if said device is elected as the first distributed convergence node, so as to allow said routing distributed convergence node to forward communication via said WAN between said first distributed convergence node in said first LAN and a third distributed convergence node in said third LAN.   
   
   
       14 . The apparatus of  claim 13  wherein said distributed convergence node module is embodied in software executable by said processor. 
   
   
       15 . An apparatus adapted to be used in a communication network environment, said environment including at least a first, a second, and a third local area network (LAN) separated from each other by a wide area network (WAN), said LANs being IP-multicast-capable and said WAN being non-IP-multicast-capable, the apparatus comprising:
 a device having a routing distributed convergence node module, said routing distributed convergence node module including:   an elector module to elect said device as a routing distributed convergence node in said second LAN;   an identifier module to identify said device from other devices in said second LAN, including identification of said device as the elected routing distributed convergence node; and   a network interface in cooperation with a processor to communicate with said other devices in said second LAN using IP multicast communication and to communicate with a first distributed convergence node in said first LAN via said WAN using unicast communication and to communicate with a third distributed convergence node in said third LAN via said WAN using unicast communication, so as to forward traffic between said first and third distributed convergence nodes over said WAN.   
   
   
       16 . The apparatus of  claim 15  wherein said routing distributed convergence node module is embodied in software executable by said processor. 
   
   
       17 . The apparatus of  claim 15  wherein said routing distributed convergence node module is adapted to perform a session setup stage between said first distributed convergence node and said routing distributed convergence node, perform a registration stage between said first distributed convergence node and said routing distributed convergence node, conduct a data streaming stage between said first distributed convergence node and said third distributed convergence node, perform an unregistration stage between said first distributed convergence node and said routing distributed convergence node, and perform a session teardown stage between said first distributed convergence node and said routing distributed convergence node. 
   
   
       18 . An article of manufacture adapted to be used in a communication network environment, said environment including at least a first, a second, and a third local area network (LAN) separated from each other by a wide area network (WAN), said LANs being IP-multicast-capable and said WAN being non-IP-multicast-capable, the article of manufacture comprising:
 a computer-readable medium adapted to be installed in one of said devices and having computer-readable instructions stored thereon that are executable by a processor to:   elect said device as a distributed convergence node;   identify said device from other devices in a same LAN as said device, including identification of said device as the elected distributed convergence node; and   communicate with said other devices in the same LAN using IP multicast communication and communicate with another distributed convergence node via said WAN using unicast communication, so as to enable transparent communication between distributed convergence nodes of different LANs via the WAN using unicast communication in a manner that makes said WAN appear to be IP-multicast-capable.   
   
   
       19 . The article of manufacture of  claim 18  wherein said machine-readable medium is located in said device, which is elected as a routing distributed convergence node, such that said routing distributed convergence node forwards traffic between distributed convergence nodes of other LANs over the WAN using unicast communication. 
   
   
       20 . The article of manufacture of  claim 18  wherein said machine-readable medium is located in said device, which is elected as a distributed convergence node to communicate with a routing distributed convergence node, such that said elected distributed convergence node communicates traffic with said routing distributed convergence node over said WAN using unicast communication so as to allow said routing distributed convergence node to forward said traffic over said WAN to another distributed convergence node of another LAN using unicast communication.