Multicast routing

- General overview of what is multicast

> Multicast is a communication technique that sends data from a single

source to multiple destinations. It's often used for audio and video
transmission over the internet.

For Example:

- Multicast modes of operation

> A 'Multicast Operation' refers to the process of sending a single message

from a source node to multiple destination nodes simultaneously.

Multicast modes of operation include:

 PIM Sparse Mode (PIM-SM): Used for large networks with few
multicast subscribers or dispersed distribution. In this mode, two trees
are created for each group.

 PIM Dense Mode (PIM-DM): Builds shortest-path trees by flooding

multicast traffic domain wide. This mode is easy to implement but has
poor scaling properties.
  Bidirectional PIM: A working mode of Protocol Independent Multicast
(PIM).

 PIM Source-Specific Multicast: A working mode of Protocol

Independent Multicast (PIM).

 Any Source Multicast (ASM): A service model of IPv6 multicast.

 Source Specific Multicast (SSM): A service model of IPv6 multicast.

 Multicast Open Shortest Path First (MOSPF): A protocol that

merges OSPF and the Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP).

 Multicast mode: A mode where the controller sends multicast packets

to a CAPWAP multicast group.

- IGMP and its significance within multicast routing

- The Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) is a network protocol that

allows devices to join and leave multicast groups. It's used to establish and
manage multicast group memberships on IP networks. IGMP is important
because it helps the internet scale and improves the efficiency of multicast
applications.

IGMP is commonly used in applications that require fast data transmission,

such as streaming media, online gaming, and video conferences.

- Basic concepts of how multicast routing works

> A multicast routing protocol is a mechanism for constructing a loop-free
shortest path from a source host that sends data to the multiple destinations
that receives the data.

How it works

 A source, like a video server, sends a copy of data to a multicast

address.

 The multicast address distributes the data to multiple recipients.

 Routing devices determine the best path to send the data to the
recipients.

 The routing devices replicate the data and send copies to the
recipients.

Benefits

 Multicast routing reduces latency and bandwidth.

 It is scalable and can be used in large networks.

 It is efficient because it only sends data to recipients who want to

receive it.

Protocols

 Protocol-Independent Multicast (PIM): A protocol used in multicast

routing.
  Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP): A protocol that
informs multicast rendezvous points about the number and location of
recipients.

Uses

 Multicast routing is used in video conferencing, video on demand

(VOD), voice over IP (VOIP), and IP television (IPTV).

- An example of multicast routing demonstrating the concepts

> A video server broadcasting a live video feed is an example of multicast

routing. In this example, the multicast source sends a single stream of
packets to a multicast address. The multicast routers then forward the
packets to all the receivers registered to that address.

Explanation

 Multicast source: A device that sends traffic to a multicast group.

 Multicast group: A group of receivers, such as devices, computers,

and IP phones.

 Multicast routing: A networking method that efficiently distributes

traffic from a single source to multiple receivers.

Some other examples of multicast routing include:

  Video conferencing: Allows many people to participate in a video call
without overloading the server

 File distribution: Can be used for operating system imaging, patch

management, and financial stock tickers

 IoT devices: Can be used to ensure that information from sensors is

sent to the correct recipients

 Voice over IP (VOIP): Can be used for voice communication over a

network

 Video on demand (VOD): Can be used to deliver video content to

users

 IP television (IPTV): Can be used to distribute television content over

a network

- Basic configuration steps for PIM-SPARSE mode multicast

IP Interface Configuration

Here, we will firstly configure IP addressing with the given IP address.

Router1(config)# interface fastEthernet 0/0

Router1(config-if)# ip address 10.0.0.1 255.255.255.0

Router1(config-if)# no shutdown

Router1(config-if)# interface fastEthernet 0/1

Router1(config-if)# ip address 20.0.0.1 255.255.255.0

Router1(config-if)# no shutdown

Router1(config-if)# exit

Router2(config)# interface fastEthernet 0/0

Router2(config-if)# ip address 10.0.0.2 255.255.255.0

Router2(config-if)# no shutdown

Router2(config-if)# interface fastEthernet 0/1

Router2(config-if)# ip address 30.0.0.1 255.255.255.0

Router2(config-if)# no shutdown

Router2(config-if)# interface loopback 0

Router2(config-if)# ip address 2.2.2.2 255.255.255.255

Router2(config-if)# exit

Router3(config)# interface fastEthernet 0/0

Router3(config-if)# ip address 20.0.0.2 255.255.255.0

Router3(config-if)# no shutdown

Router3(config-if)# interface fastEthernet 0/1

Router3(config-if)# ip address 30.0.0.2 255.255.255.0

Router3(config-if)# no shutdown

Router3(config-if)# exit

Routing Protocol Configuration

Here, we will configure routing protocol to provide layer 3 reachability. We

will use Single Area OSPF here.

Router1(config)# router ospf 1

Router1(config-if)# network 10.0.0.0 0.0.0.255 area 0

Router1(config-if)# network 20.0.0.0 0.0.0.255 area 0

Router1(config-if)# end

Router2(config)# router ospf 1

Router2(config-if)# network 10.0.0.0 0.0.0.255 area 0

Router2(config-if)# network 30.0.0.0 0.0.0.255 area 0

Router2(config-if)# network 2.2.2.2 0.0.0.0 area 0

Router2(config-if)# end

Router3(config)# router ospf 1

Router3(config-if)# network 20.0.0.0 0.0.0.255 area 0

Router3(config-if)# network 30.0.0.0 0.0.0.255 area 0

Router3(config-if)# end
Enabling IP Multicast

In this step, we will configure ip multicast routing with “ip multicast-

routing” command on all the routers.

Router1(config)# ip multicast-routing

Router2(config)# ip multicast-routing

Router3(config)# ip multicast-routing

Enabling PIM-SM on Interfaces

This is the step that we configure PIM Sparse mode exactly. We will use “ip
pim sparse-mode” command on all the interfaces on the routers.

Router1(config)# interface fastEthernet 0/0

Router1(config-if)# ip pim sparse-mode

Router1(config-if)# interface fastEthernet 0/1

Router1(config-if)# ip pim sparse-mode

Router2(config)# interface fastEthernet 0/0

Router2(config-if)# ip pim sparse-mode

Router2(config-if)# interface fastEthernet 0/1

Router2(config-if)# ip pim sparse-mode

Router3(config)# interface fastEthernet 0/0

Router3(config-if)# ip pim sparse-mode

Router3(config-if)# interface fastEthernet 0/1

Router3(config-if)# ip pim sparse-mode

Enabling PIM-SM on Interfaces

In this multicast network, how does the receivers find the multicast source?
They will find multicast source with the help of Randevous-Point (RP). So,
we will configure randevous-point in this step. Here, we can sue two ways.
One is manual way and the other is using an auto config protocol. In this
lesson, we will use manual RP configuration.

Our Randevous-point will be Router 2. So, we will configure its loopback

interface as Randevous-point address on both Router 2 and on other Routers.

Router1(config)# ip pim rp-address 2.2.2.2

Router2(config)# ip pim rp-address 2.2.2.2

Router3(config)# ip pim rp-address 2.2.2.2

PIM Sparse Mode Verification

After configuring PIM-SM on Cisco routers and setting randevous-point, now
we can check our configuration. To do this, we will use “show ip mroute”,
“show ip pim rp mapping”, “show ip igmp groups” and “mtrace”
commands.

To see the full content of the IP Multicast Routing Table, we will use
“show ip mroute” command.

To check Randevous-Point assignments by multicast

group, mappings and the source of RP learning, we will use “show ip
pim rp mapping”.

To verify that a source or receiver has joined the multicast group, we will use
“show ip igmp groups” command.

We use mtrace command to check the multicast path from the source to the
receiver. It is similar to tracert command on ip interfaces. We will use this
command here to check if are there any down on our multicast path.

- What is multicast reflection, its applications and basic

configuration of multicast reflection

> Multicast service reflection is a feature that translates multicast

destination addresses to match an organization's internal addressing
policy. It's used to separate private and public multicast networks, and can
be deployed at various points in a network

For multicast service reflection, the virtual interface is configured to statically

join the group that needs to be translated to build a multicast tree. The
virtual interface maintains information about: Input interface. Private-to-
public multicast group mappings.
Applications

 Receiving identical feeds: Multicast service reflection can receive

identical feeds from two ingress points and route them independently.

 Receiving untranslated streams: It can be used when users who

haven't moved to a new multicast group still need to receive the
untranslated stream.

 Delivering individual IP packets: It can be used for applications like

audio or video streaming broadcasts.

Basic configuration

 Multicast service reflection is configured on a virtual interface (Vif).

 The Vif interface is statically joined to the group that needs to be

translated.

 The Vif interface acts as a receiver for the original stream.

 The Vif interface is a Designated Router (DR) for active sources.

 The matched and rewritten packet is sent back into Cisco IOS XE
unicast or multicast packet routing.

- High level troubleshooting of multicast routing

> When troubleshooting multicast routing, you can check the network
connection, verify the multicast address and port, and use debugging
tools. You can also use commands to check the Rendezvous Point (RP)
configuration and the Reverse Path Forwarding (RPF) process.

Check the network connection

 Ensure that all network components are connected and working

 Check that the multicast address and port are configured correctly

 Verify that IP multicast routing is enabled on all multicast routers

Check the RP configuration

 Use the show ip pim rp mapping command to check the RP-Group

mapping
  Use the debug ip pim auto-rp command to troubleshoot auto-RP
failures

 Ensure the RP is reachable and configured correctly

Check the RPF process

 Use the show ip rpf <ip address of source> command to check the RPF
failure for the source address

 Ensure that the incoming interface is the outgoing interface used by

unicast routing

Use debugging tools Use the Multicast Test utility to verify that multicast is
working, Use the Multicast Monitor debugging utility, use debugging flags,
and Set debug attributes using WLST.