Using switching technologies to duplicate packets of a digital stream
(e.g., digital video stream) sent from one workstation to multiple
recipient workstations, where the switching technologies enable the
multiple streams sent from the switch to the recipient workstations to be
generated from a single digital stream sent from the sending workstation
to the switch. Data units, such as video data units, may be transmitted
by using a switch to enable receipt of a stream of data units including a
payload portion and an attribute portion from at least two conferencing
participants. The switch is used to duplicate at least a subportion of
the payload portion of a data unit within the stream of data units, and
to enable access to the duplicated subportion of the data unit by two or
more conferencing participants.