Abstract
- A network protocol that allows a single source to send data to multiple receivers simultaneously
- Similar to Broadcasting, but more efficient because data is is only sent once, and then replicated by network to reach all receivers
- When a source sends a multicast packet, it uses a Multicast IP address as the destination address. The network then replicates the packet and sends it to all of the receivers in the multicast group
Common use cases
Software Update
- Used to distribute software updates to multiple devices simultaneously
Video Conferencing
- Send audio and video streams to multiple participants in a video conference
Online Gaming
- Send game state updates to multiple players simultaneously
Multicast IP address
- IP Address in the range
224.0.0.0to239.255.255.255
Multicast Group
- A logical group for receivers who are interested in receiving Data from sender
- Joining is done by sending an IGMP (Internet Group Management Protocol) join message to the network
- Once a receiver has joined a multicast group, it will continue to receive all of the packets that are sent to that group, until it leaves the group