TECHNIQUES FOR DISTRIBUTING ROUTING INFORMATION USING MULTICASTS

Techniques for sending routing data include sending first routing data in a first multicast packet to a number N of adjacent nodes. It is determined whether different routing data is ready to be sent in a different multicast packet. If so, then a number M of adjacent nodes from which acknowledgment messages have been received, and whether M exceeds a threshold, is determined. If so, then a Conditional-Receive (CR) method is invoked in which a multicast message is sent which identifies each of a number L=N-M of laggard adjacent nodes. The laggard adjacent nodes are thus notified to ignore the different multicast packet. If it is determined that M does not exceed the threshold, then additional acknowledgement messages are received while waiting until M does exceed the threshold before the CR method is invoked. The threshold is greater than or equal to 1.