Tunneling method and apparatus for multicasting between IPv4 network and IPv6 network

摘要

In a tunneling method and apparatus for multicasting between an IPv4 network and an IPv6 network, a multicast table containing information about receive and transmit interfaces in a multicast delivery tree structure for each of the IPv4 network and the IPv6 network is set, a multicast address area is assigned to the first network and a multicast address area is assigned to the second network compatible with the first network, an IPv6 multicast packet containing source and multicast destination addresses of the IPv6 network is received, and when a destination network of the IPv6 multicast packet is the IPv6 network connected to the IPv4 network, source and multicast destination addresses of the IPv4 network are extracted from source and multicast destination addresses contained in the IPv6 multicast packet, the IPv6 multicast packet is capsulated into an IPv4 format, and the IPv4 format packet is multicast-tunneled to the IPv6 network through the IPv4 network by referring to the multicast table.