Internet group management protocol host tracking
View Patent ↗A computer network device (such as a switch or a router) that implement host tracking is described. During operation, the computer network device may receive a report message that is associated with a host, which indicates that the host wants to join a group in a network that receives an audio-video channel from a source. In response, the computer network device may add information associated with the host to a group data structure associated with one or more hosts in the group. Then, when the computer network device receives a leave message that is associated with the host, the computer network device may remove or deactivates the host from the group data structure. Moreover, when the group data structure is empty or has no active hosts, the computer network device may stop forwarding the audio-video channel from the source to the group without further delay.
1. A computer network device, comprising:
an interface circuit;
a processor; and
memory configured to store program instructions, wherein, when executed by the processor, the program instructions cause the computer network device to perform operations comprising:
receiving a report message that is associated with a host, which indicates that the host wants to join a group in a network that receives an audio-video channel from a source;
adding, based at least in part on the report message, information associated with the host to a group data structure that comprises information associated with one or more hosts in the group;
when the computer network device receives a leave message that is associated with the host, removing or deactivating the host from the group data structure;
selectively flooding the report message or the leave message within the network on non-edge ports in the network, wherein the report message or the leave message is not forwarded to edge ports in the network associated with the one or more hosts or the source; and
when the group data structure is empty or has no active hosts, stopping forwarding of the audio-video channel from the source to the group without further delay.
2. The computer network device of claim 1 , wherein the computer network device comprises a switch or a router.
3. The computer network device of claim 1 , wherein the operations comprise providing the report message or the leave message to one or more other computer network devices in the network via the non-edge ports.
4. The computer network device of claim 1 , wherein the report message and the leave message are compatible with an Internet group management protocol (IGMP).
5. The computer network device of claim 4 , wherein the IGMP comprises IGMP version 2 (IGMPv2).
6. The computer network device of claim 1 , wherein the computer network device implements IGMPv2.
7. The computer network device of claim 1 , wherein the computer network device does not implement IGMP version 3 (IGMPv3).
8. The computer network device of claim 1 , wherein the operations comprise dynamically determining the non-edge ports in the network and the edge ports in the network associated with the one or more hosts or the source.
9. The computer network device of claim 8 , wherein the operations comprise:
exchanging network messages with one or more other computer network devices in the network on a type of port;
when the computer network device receives a given network message, marking one or more associated receive ports as being associated with a passive neighbor; and
determining a network topology comprising the edge ports associated with the source and the one or more hosts and the non-edge ports associated with the one or more other computer network devices.
10. The computer network device of claim 9 , wherein the type of port comprises a router port.
11. The computer network device of claim 9 , wherein the network messages are not forwarded to the source or the one or more hosts.
12. The computer network device of claim 9 , wherein the operations comprise providing the report message or the leave message to one or more other computer network devices in the network based at least in part on the determined network topology, and the report message or the leave message is not forwarded to the one or more hosts or the source based at least in part on the determined network topology.
13. The computer network device of claim 1 , wherein the computer network device stops the forwarding of the audio-video channel from the source without first providing a group-specific query message addressed to the one or more hosts in the group.
14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for use in conjunction with a computer network device, the computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions that, when executed by the computer network device, causes the computer network device to perform operations comprising:
receiving a report message that is associated with a host, which indicates that the host wants to join a group in a network that receives an audio-video channel from a source;
adding, based at least in part on the report message, information associated with the host to a group data structure that comprises information associated with one or more hosts in the group;
when the computer network device receives a leave message that is associated with the host, removing or deactivating the host from the group data structure;
selectively flooding the report message or the leave message within the network on non-edge ports in the network, wherein the report message or the leave message is not forwarded to edge ports in the network associated with the one or more hosts or the source; and
when the group data structure is empty or has no active hosts, stopping forwarding of the audio-video channel from the source to the group without further delay.
15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein the computer network device implements an Internet group management protocol version 2 (IGMPv2).
16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 , the computer network device stops the forwarding of the audio-video channel from the source without first providing a group-specific query message addressed to the one or more hosts in the group.
17. A method for performing host tracking, comprising:
by a computer network device:
receiving a report message that is associated with a host, which indicates that the host wants to join a group in a network that receives an audio-video channel from a source;
adding, based at least in part on the report message, information associated with the host to a group data structure that comprises information associated with one or more hosts in the group;
when the computer network device receives a leave message that is associated with the host, removing or deactivating the host from the group data structure;
selectively flooding the report message or the leave message within the network on non-edge ports in the network, wherein the report message or the leave message is not forwarded to edge ports in the network associated with the one or more hosts or the source; and
when the group data structure is empty or has no active hosts, stopping forwarding of the audio-video channel from the source to the group without further delay.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the computer network device comprises a switch or a router.
19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the operations comprise providing the report message or the leave message to one or more other computer network devices in the network via the non-edge ports.
20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the method comprises dynamically determining the non-edge ports in the network and the edge ports in the network associated with the one or more hosts or the source.