Multicast address in a local area network where the local area network has inadequate multicast addressing capability

摘要

Use of a multicast address in a LAN, where the LAN does not support an adequate multicast address space, is implemented. An apparatus is provided for delivering a multicast address to a station on a local area network, where the local area network does not support the multicast address. The frame is transmitted onto the local area network, where the frame has: a predetermined field containing a reference to the multicast address; an indicator, the indicator capable of being interpreted by a receiving station to mean that the multicast address may be recovered from the frame by parsing the frame; and an applications program may be executed in response to the multicast address. Also, the apparatus may have a receiving station capable of receiving the frame, and an applications program may be executed in the receiving station in response to the multicast address.