Abstract: In a digital data network, a plurality of devices interconnected by a communication link organize themselves into a tree structure. Each of the devices has an associated suitability value that generally relates to the device's suitability for becoming a node in the tree structure. The devices organize themselves into a tree structure in one or more iterations, each iteration comprising two general steps, namely, a node election step and a tree establishment step. In the node election step, the devices whose suitability values are such that they can become nodes in the tree broadcast over the communication link node election messages including their respective suitability values. These devices also receive the node election messages that are broadcast by other devices. Each device determines whether it is elected a node in the tree structure in connection with a comparison between its suitability value and suitability values of node election messages received thereby.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for disseminating filters from an intermediate network entity called an Administrative Control Point (ACP). The ACP sends dynamic filtering information to various ones of the receiving entities in a network. Thus, receivers in the network can have a set of dynamic filters that can differ from all other sets of dynamic filters in the other receivers. When a receiver receives multicast data, it filters the received data using the filters that it received from the ACP before it processes the received data. The ACP can also update and/or change the filters in one or more receivers at a later time. Dynamic filters can be, for example, software modules, software classes, and/or configuration parameters.