A Flexible and Secure Multicast Architecture for ATM Networks

We describe our unifying architecture for multipoint-to-multipoint communications in ATM networks which meets the diverse requirement of group communications and permit a large degree of control on the multicast group. With an integrated use of a name space, the scheme allows scalable extension to large scale wide area multicast communications. We also enable exible control on routeing architecture and group membership. We consider security service to be a fundamental element of the multicast communication. A framework of multicast authority and multicast coordination centre is used to provide the dynamic group management and membership support, with a integrated security mechanism for exible group access. Implementation experience of this architecture on the XUNET wide area ATM testbed will also be discussed.