Abstract: Method and apparatuses for directing multicast traffic in an Ethernet network include sending a multicast message upstream to a metro access node, performing IGMP snooping at the metro access node and assigning a multicast VLAN tag to the multicast message, performing IGMP snooping at an Ethernet switch disposed upstream to determine each port used for a corresponding multicast group address and multicast VLAN tag associated with the multicast group address, receiving the multicast message at an access server or edge router and sending the multicast message including the multicast group address and the multicast VLAN tag, downstream to a port based on that information, thereby avoiding duplication of the multicast message to another port other than the port associated with the multicast VLAN tag.

Abstract: A packet header for a data packet (14) includes a routing information field for containing at least one local node identifier data which identifies one or more nodes through which the data packet is intended to be transported. The packet header further contains a pointer field containing a pointer (PTR), which pointer indicates the position of individual local node identifier data in the routing information field. The pointer is operable to be incremented at each node so as to indicate the position of data, which identifies the node to which the data packet is to be subsequently transported.

Abstract: To compress a list of destination addresses (A.B.C.D, A.B.C.E, A.F.G.H) of a connectionless multicasted message, addresses (A.B.C.D, A.B.C.E) that have a common prefix (A.B.C) are replaced with a single compound address (A.B.C{D,E}). This compound address (A.B.C{D,E}) is constituted by the common prefix (A.B.C) and a list of suffixes ({D,E}) of these addresses (A.B.C.D, A.B.C.E) that have a common prefix (A.B.C). The compression technique may be applied iteratively and in addition to reducing the overhead required for multicasting, enables faster routing table look-up.

Abstract: Method and apparatuses for directing multicast traffic in an Ethernet network include sending a multicast message upstream to a metro access node, performing IGMP snooping at the metro access node and assigning a multicast VLAN tag to the multicast message, performing IGMP snooping at an Ethernet switch disposed upstream to determine each port used for a corresponding multicast group address and multicast VLAN tag associated with the multicast group address, receiving the multicast message at an access server or edge router and sending the multicast message including the multicast group address and the multicast VLAN tag, downstream to a port based on that information, thereby avoiding duplication of the multicast message to another port other than the port associated with the multicast VLAN tag.

Abstract: The invention relates to a packet header for a data packet (14) to be transported via at least one node of a network wherein the packet header includes a routing information field for containing data associated with the at least one node. The data associated with the at least one node is local node identifier data which identifies a neighbouring node of the at least one node through which the data packet is intended to be transported. Furthermore, the packet header may contain the routing information field data associated with a plurality of nodes, wherein the data associated with the plurality of nodes is local node identifier data, which identifies a neighbouring node of each node through which the data packet is intended to be transported. The packet header contains a pointer field for containing a pointer (PTR), which pointer is operable to indicate the position of individual local node identifier data in the routing information field.