Abstract: A server/client for a network-based multicast system has a media services manager and one or more media service providers. When functioning as a server, the media service providers receive data corresponding to a channel having one or more related data streams, where each media service provider receives data corresponding to a data stream of the channel. In the server, the media services manager receives the data from the media service providers and transmits the data to the network. When functioning as a client, the media services manager receives data from the network for a selected channel having one or more related data streams. In the client, the media service providers receive and play the data from the media services manager, where each media service provider receives and plays data corresponding to a data stream of the channel. In a preferred embodiment, a channel has logically related audio, video, and/or text data streams.

Abstract: A method and system for loading a library requested by a service requester of an application program in a computer system. The service requester issues a request to a first loader module to load the library, where the first loader module is part of the executable application program. The first loader module passes the request to a second loader module, where the second loader module is an executable distinct from the executable application program. The second loader module then loads the library. In a preferred embodiment, the first loader module is a global dynamic loader of a multicast application program and the second loader module is a global dynamic loader executable that is an executable distinct from the executable multicast application program. A media services manager of the multicast application uses the global dynamic loader and global dynamic loader executable to load and unload one or more media service providers.