XML-based semantic multicast routing: an overlay network architecture for future information services

The paper proposes an overlay network architecture for future content delivery services over the Internet. The proposed network is based on a dynamic semantic multicast model where overlay routers forward packets on one or more ports based on hierarchical content descriptors instead of an IP address. Information providers "publish" their content by sending out packets with XML schema-based content headers, and end-users subscribe to the network with an XML "interest-profile". The paper describes the protocol design, discusses its scaling properties, and reports on the performance of the implemented system.