NETWORK DEVICE LOCATION USING MULTICAST

A method and apparatus for determining the location of an entity using an alias (or entity name) in a communication system. A second node or entity transmits a first signal to a first router connected to a first local network of the communication system including the alias, wherein the alias includes a zone name. The first router forwards a second signal including the entity name from the first signal to other routers in the network until a second router connected to nodes having the zone name in the entity name is located. Each second router translates the second signal into a third signal which includes the alias, and using a first zone multicast address, multicasts the third signal to a first set of nodes. Each node of the first set of nodes determines whether the zone name contained within the alias is equal to a zone identifier for each node of the first set of nodes. Each node having the zone name determines whether the alias contained within the third signal is equal to alias information for the node. A first entity having the alias then transmits a fourth signal, which includes its network address, to the second entity in response to the third signal.