All things related to multicast

[John Zwiebel <>]

On May 22, 2004, at 8:59 AM, Alan Crosswell wrote:

> Most campus IT staff are very busy these days just dealing with 
> eradicating Windows viruses.  Some are probably happy they didn't have 
> MSDP running when Sasser hit.

> Life sucks in the land of multicast.  But we'll keep pushing for it.

So, let me play my broken record again...

We need to have a standard directory that lists multicast sources.
We need to move to SSM.

Shep will say we need AMT, I agree, but feel that without the two
requirements I've listed, AMT isn't going to be useful.

So Richard, you are the application vendor, where's your "Multicast 
Source Directory Protocol"?
(groan, another MSDP.  OK, its SSM, let's call them multicast channels, 
CDP, Channel Directory
Protocol.  groan, not another CDP.  OK...)

What efforts is vBrick making toward transition from IGMPv2 to IGMPv3?
The switch folks described GMRP/GARP, can vBrick take advantage of it?
(Not that the deployed L2 switches can make use of it, but...)

What efforts are being made to get L2 switches to snoop IGMPv3
and MLDv2 and are these efforts orthogonal or complementary to 
GMRP/GARP?

FWIW, each group is pointing fingers at every other group.  We're all
right.  How do we get past this?  It would seem that the IETF isn't the
right place for it because the problem isn't just an L3 problem.


Richard you said:

> I think it would be great if someone in this group could 
> create/sponsor a multicast IMPLEMENTATION FAQ targeted at members IT 
> staff. We don't need a "what is multicast" but a "how to" FAQ.

There are several of these already out there.  It doesn't help that I 
can't
point you to any of them.  Nor does it help that none of them can 
provide answers
for questions like Alan's L2-switch problem.  There is no answer so it 
isn't
mentioned.  If I were an IT guy (I was once -- used it to launch 
rockets) I'd
read the FAQ, try configuring it, and then I'd find my L2-switch would 
hose
my unicast and spend the next three months trying to figure out why, 
and I'd
finally give up as "more intelligent heads" ordered me to turn it off.

Alan is smarter than I am, he figured it out without having to be 
ordered.  ;-)