User's Manual

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Multicast
Multicast is one of the three network transmission modes, Unicast, Multicast, Broadcast. It is a
transmission mode that supports point-to-multipoint connections between the sender and the
recipient. IGMP protocol is used to establish and maintain the relationship between IP host and the
host directly connected multicast router.
IGMP stands for Internet Group Management Protocol is a communications protocols used to
manage the membership of Internet Protocol multicast groups. IGMP is used by IP hosts and the
adjacent multicast routers to establish multicast group members. There are three versions for IGMP,
that is IGMPv1, IGMPv2 and IGMPv3.
MLD, short for Multicast Listener Discovery protocol, is a component if the Internet Protocol
version 6(IPv6) suite. MLD is used by IPv6 to discover multicast listeners on a directly attached link,
much as IGMP used in IPv4. The protocol is embedded in ICMPv6 instead of using a separate
protocol. MLDv1 is similar to IGMPv2 and MLDv2 is similar to IGMPv3.