NextHop Technologies announced that Huawei Technologies has added NextHop's GateD Multicast IPv6 routing software to extend its existing software license from NextHop.

Huawei has licensed NextHop's entire suite of IPv6 (Internet protocol) multicast routing software to complement its existing license for IPv4 multicast routing software.

The protocols licensed include: PIM-SM (protocol Independent multicast-sparse mode), PIM-SSM (PIM-source specific multicast) and PIM-DM (PIM-dense mode) for IPv6, as well as the MLD (multicast listener discovery) protocol required to support them.

Huawei will initially deploy these multicast routing protocols on their Quidway Net Engine (NE) router platforms, and then on other product families as the market requirement for multicast routing capabilities develops. As with Huawei's earlier license, this license also extends to products developed by Huawei for the 3Com(R)/Huawei joint venture.