Abstract: Disclosed is a scalable, hierarchical, distributed network architecture and processes for the delivery of high-performance, end-to-end online multimedia services, including Internet services such as World Wide Web access. The network architecture connects a high-speed private backbone to multiple network access points of the Internet, to a network operation center, to a back office system, and to multiple regional servers in regional data centers. Each of the regional servers connects to several caching servers in modified head-ends, which in turn connect via fiber optics to many neighborhood nodes. Finally, each node connects via coaxial cable to multiple end-user systems. The processes include those for replicating and caching frequently-accessed content, and multicasting content customized per region or locality.

Abstract: A system and method for sharing access to an internet protocol (IP) network among multiple internet service providers (ISPs) uses multiprotocol label switching (MPLS). End-users are coupled to a broadband customer access network. Each end-user is also associated with at least one of the ISPs. An aggregation router interfaces the customer access network with a network backbone. The network backbone includes a border router for interfacing between the network backbone and the network of an ISP. When the border router is activated, it creates a forwarding equivalency class (FEC) corresponding to the ISP. The border router stores a label for the FEC and the interface for reaching the ISP in an FEC table. The border router advertises the label binding for the FEC to all upstream nodes. An intermediate node receiving the label binding creates its own FEC table, associates a new label with the FEC, and advertises the new label binding to its upstream nodes.