HyperCast is an overlay middleware, implemented in JAVA, for application-level overlay networks. Network applications can use HyperCast to build an overlay network on top of underlying networks, such as the Internet, without changing Internet routing or switching infrastructure. HyperCast supports multiple overlay topologies, node discovery algorithms, routing schemes, multicast models, etc. It is designed with simple interfaces between the application and overlay functions allowing developers to quickly create network applications without much knowledge of internal details of application-layer overlay networks.
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Overlay Socket
HyperCast introduces the concept of overlay sockets as endpoints of communication, i.e. a node, in an overlay network. A HyperCast overlay network is simply viewed as a collection of overlay sockets. Each overlay socket has a logical address and a physical address. The logical address is a unique address that identifies the node in the overlay network as well as to route overlay messages among overlay sockets. The physical address of the overlay socket specifies an address in the underlying network where an overlay socket can send and receive messages.
Data Delivery
HyperCast provides a best-effort communication service (unreliable, unordered, possible duplication) for application messages, which are referred to as overlay messages.