Multicast Configuration Overview

You configure a router network to support multicast applications with a related family of protocols. To use multicast, you must understand the basic components of a multicast network and their relationships, and then configure the device to act as a node in the network.

1. Determine whether the router is directly attached to any multicast sources.

   Receivers must be able to locate these sources.

2. Determine whether the router is directly attached to any multicast group receivers.

   If receivers are present, IGMP is needed.

3. Determine whether to use the sparse, dense, or sparse-dense mode of multicast operation.

   Each mode has different configuration considerations.

4. Determine the address of the rendezvous point (RP) if sparse or sparse-dense mode is used.
5. Determine whether to locate the RP with the static configuration, bootstrap router (BSR), or auto-RP method.

   See:

   • Understanding Static RP

   • Understanding the PIM Bootstrap Router

   • Understanding PIM Auto-RP

6. Determine whether to configure multicast to use its own reverse-path forwarding (RPF) routing table when configuring PIM in sparse, dense, or sparse-dense modes.

   See Understanding Multicast Reverse Path Forwarding

7. (Optional) Configure the SAP and SDP protocols to listen for multicast session announcements.

   See Configuring the Session Announcement Protocol.

8. Configure IGMP.

   See Configuring IGMP.

9. (Optional) Configure the PIM static RP.

   See Configuring Static RP.

10. (Optional) Filter PIM register messages from unauthorized groups and sources.

    See Example: Rejecting Incoming PIM Register Messages on RP Routers and Example: Stopping Outgoing PIM Register Messages on a Designated Router.

11. (Optional) Configure a PIM RPF routing table.

    See Example: Configuring a PIM RPF Routing Table.