IP multicast is a bandwidth-conserving technology that reduces traffic by delivering a single stream of information simultaneously to potentially thousands of businesses and homes. Applications that take advantage of multicast include video conferencing, corporate communications, distance learning, and distribution of software, stock quotes, and news.

IP multicast routing enables a host (source) to send packets to a group of hosts (receivers) anywhere within the IP network by using a special form of IP address called the IP multicast group address. The sending host inserts the multicast group address into the IP destination address field of the packet and IP multicast routers and multilayer switches forward incoming IP multicast packets out all interfaces that lead to the members of the multicast group. Any host, regardless of whether it is a member of a group, can send to a group. However, only the members of a group receive the message.

The software supports the following protocols to implement IP multicast routing:

• IGMP is used between hosts on a LAN and the routers (and multilayer devices) on that LAN to track the multicast groups of which hosts are members. To participate in IP multicasting, multicast hosts, routers, and multilayer devices must have the Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) operating.

• Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) is used between routers so that they can track which multicast packets to forward to each other and to their directly connected LANs.

• IGMP Snooping is used for multicasting in a Layer 2 switching environment. It helps reduce the flooding of multicast traffic by dynamically configuring Layer 2 interfaces so that multicast traffic is forwarded to only those interfaces associated with IP multicast devices.

This figure shows where these protocols operate within the IP multicast environment.

According to IPv4 multicast standards, the MAC destination multicast address begins with 0100:5e and is appended by the last 23 bits of the IP address. For example, if the IP destination address is 239.1.1.39, the MAC destination address is 0100:5e01:0127.

A multicast packet is unmatched when the destination IPv4 address does not match the destination MAC address. The device forwards the unmatched packet in hardware based upon the MAC address table. If the destination MAC address is not in the MAC address table, the device floods the packet to the all port in the same VLAN as the receiving port.

IP communication consists of hosts that act as senders and receivers of traffic as shown in the first figure. Senders are called sources. Traditional IP communication is accomplished by a single host source sending packets to another single host (unicast transmission) or to all hosts (broadcast transmission). IP multicast provides a third scheme, allowing a host to send packets to a subset of all hosts (multicast transmission). This subset of receiving hosts is called a multicast group. The hosts that belong to a multicast group are called group members.

Multicast is based on this group concept. A multicast group is an arbitrary number of receivers that join a group in order to receive a particular data stream. This multicast group has no physical or geographical boundaries--the hosts can be located anywhere on the Internet or on any private internetwork. Hosts that are interested in receiving data from a source to a particular group must join that group. Joining a group is accomplished by a host receiver by way of the Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP).

In a multicast environment, any host, regardless of whether it is a member of a group, can send to a group. However, only the members of a group can receive packets sent to that group. Multicast packets are delivered to a group using best-effort reliability, just like IP unicast packets.

In the next figure, the receivers (the designated multicast group) are interested in receiving the video data stream from the source. The receivers indicate their interest by sending an IGMP host report to the routers in the network. The routers are then responsible for delivering the data from the source to the receivers. The routers use Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) to dynamically create a multicast distribution tree. The video data stream will then be delivered only to the network segments that are in the path between the source and the receivers.

As shown in the figure, address scoping defines domain boundaries so that domains with RPs that have the same IP address do not leak into each other. Scoping is performed on the subnet boundaries within large domains and on the boundaries between the domain and the Internet.

You can set up an administratively scoped boundary on an interface for multicast group addresses using the ip multicast boundary command with the access-list argument. A standard access list defines the range of addresses affected. When a boundary is set up, no multicast data packets are allowed to flow across the boundary from either direction. The boundary allows the same multicast group address to be reused in different administrative domains.

The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) has designated the multicast address range 239.0.0.0 to 239.255.255.255 as the administratively scoped addresses. This range of addresses can be reused in domains administered by different organizations. They would be considered local, not globally unique.

You can configure the filter-autorp keyword to examine and filter Auto-RP discovery and announcement messages at the administratively scoped boundary. Any Auto-RP group range announcements from the Auto-RP packets that are denied by the boundary access control list (ACL) are removed. An Auto-RP group range announcement is permitted and passed by the boundary only if all addresses in the Auto-RP group range are permitted by the boundary ACL. If any address is not permitted, the entire group range is filtered and removed from the Auto-RP message before the Auto-RP message is forwarded.

A multicast group is identified by its multicast group address. Multicast packets are delivered to that multicast group address. Unlike unicast addresses that uniquely identify a single host, multicast IP addresses do not identify a particular host. To receive the data sent to a multicast address, a host must join the group that address identifies. The data is sent to the multicast address and received by all the hosts that have joined the group indicating that they wish to receive traffic sent to that group. The multicast group address is assigned to a group at the source. Network administrators who assign multicast group addresses must make sure the addresses conform to the multicast address range assignments reserved by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA).

The multicast address range is subdivided to provide predictable behavior for various address ranges and for address reuse within smaller domains. The table provides a summary of the multicast address ranges. A brief summary description of each range follows.

Limited Scope Addresses

The range 239.0.0.0 to 239.255.255.255 is reserved as administratively or limited scoped addresses for use in private multicast domains. These addresses are constrained to a local group or organization. Companies, universities, and other organizations can use limited scope addresses to have local multicast applications that will not be forwarded outside their domain. Routers typically are configured with filters to prevent multicast traffic in this address range from flowing outside an autonomous system (AS) or any user-defined domain. Within an AS or domain, the limited scope address range can be further subdivided so that local multicast boundaries can be defined.

Note	Network administrators may use multicast addresses in this range, inside a domain, without conflicting with others elsewhere in the Internet.

Historically, network interface cards (NICs) on a LAN segment could receive only packets destined for their burned-in MAC address or the broadcast MAC address. In IP multicast, several hosts need to be able to receive a single data stream with a common destination MAC address. Some means had to be devised so that multiple hosts could receive the same packet and still be able to differentiate between several multicast groups. One method to accomplish this is to map IP multicast Class D addresses directly to a MAC address. Using this method, NICs can receive packets destined to many different MAC address.

Cisco Group Management Protocol ( CGMP) is used on routers connected to Catalyst switches to perform tasks similar to those performed by IGMP. CGMP is necessary for those Catalyst switches that cannot distinguish between IP multicast data packets and IGMP report messages, both of which are addressed to the same group address at the MAC level.

IP multicast delivery modes differ only for the receiver hosts, not for the source hosts. A source host sends IP multicast packets with its own IP address as the IP source address of the packet and a group address as the IP destination address of the packet.