The multicast routing protocols you’re most likely to use in Linux are MOSPF, DVMRP, and either PIM-SM or PIM-DM. MOSPF is most useful in smaller multicast setups where you need a single protocol to handle both unicast and multicast, and RIP-2 doesn’t really handle multicast data as much as it does multicast updates. DVMRP, PIM-SM, and PIM-DM all require an additional unicast protocol to work with.You would use PIM-SM if your multicast group members tend to be very spread out, and you’d use PIM-DM or DVMRP if they are more densely packed.
Table 2.1 outlines the multicast protocols available to you and the data you’ll need to get started.
Protocol | Program | RFC or Draft |
---|---|---|
MOSPF | mrouted | 1585 |
DVMRP | mrouted | draft-ietf-idmr-dvmrp-v3-10.txt |
PIM-SM | gated | 2362 |
PIM-DM | gated | draft-ietf-pim-v2-dm-03.txt |
See http://www.multicasttech.com/multicast_faq.html if you have questions about multicast in general.