Quick Reference Guide

PowerConnect B-Series TI24X Configuration Guide 465

53-1002269-02

Chapter

Configuring IP Multicast Protocols

This chapter describes how to configure Layer 3 Switches for Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM).

Layer 3 Switches support the following IP multicast versions:

• Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) V1 and V2

• Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) V3

• PIM Dense mode (PIM DM) V1 (draft-ietf-pim-dm-05) and V2 (draft-ietf-pim-v2-dm-03)

• PIM Sparse mode (PIM SM) V2 (RFC 2362)

NOTE

Each multicast protocol uses IGMP. IGMP is automatically enabled on an interface when you

configure PIM and is disabled on the interface if you disable PIM .

NOTE

This chapter applies only to IP multicast routing. To configure Layer 2 multicast features, refer to

Chapter 18, “Configuring IP Multicast Traffic Reduction for PowerConnect B-Series TI24X Switches”.

Overview of IP multicasting

Multicast protocols allow a group or channel to be accessed over different networks by multiple

stations (clients) for the receipt and transmit of multicast data.

Distribution of stock quotes, video transmissions such as news services and remote classrooms,

and video conferencing are all examples of applications that use multicast routing.

IPv4 multicast group addresses

In IPv4 Multicast, host groups are identified by Class D addresses, i.e., those with “1110” as their

higher-order four bits. In Internet standard "dotted decimal" notation, these group addresses range

from 224.0.0.0 to 239.255.255.255. However, the IANA IPv4 Multicast Address Registry

(referencing RFC 3171) stipulates that the range 224.0.0.0 through 224.0.0.255 should not be

used for regular multicasting applications.

“The range of addresses between 224.0.0.0 and 224.0.0.255, inclusive, is reserved for the use of

routing protocols and other low-level topology discovery or maintenance protocols, such as gateway

discovery and group membership reporting. Multicast routers should not forward any multicast

datagram with destination addresses in this range, regardless of its TTL.”