Multicast Overview; Chapter 1 Multicast Overview; Information Transmission In The Unicast Mode - Huawei Quidway S3900 Series Operation Manual

Operation Manual – Multicast Protocol
Quidway S3900 Series Ethernet Switches-Release 1510

Chapter 1 Multicast Overview

Note:
Among S3900 series Ethernet switches, S3900-EI series support all the multicast
protocols listed in this manual; while S3900-SI series only support IGMP Snooping
protocol.
When running IP multicast protocols, Ethernet switches also provide the functions of
routers. In this manual, routers stand for not only the common routers but also the
Layer 3 Ethernet switches running IP multicast protocols.

1.1 Multicast Overview

With development of networks on the Internet, more and more interaction services
such as data, voice, and video services are running on the networks. In addition,
services highly dependent on bandwidth and real-time data interaction, such as
e-commerce, web conference, online auction, video on demand (VoD), and
tele-education have come into being. These services have higher requirements for
information security, legal use of paid services, and network bandwidth.
In the network, packets are sent in three modes: unicast, broadcast and multicast. The
following sections describe and compare data interaction processes in unicast,
broadcast, and multicast.

1.1.1 Information Transmission in the Unicast Mode

In unicast, the system establishes a separate data transmission channel for each user
requiring this information, and sends separate copy information to the user, as shown in
Figure 1-1:
Huawei Technologies Proprietary
1-1
Chapter 1 Multicast Overview