H3C Technologies H3C S7500E Series Switches - Manual (Page 22)

1-5
also manage multicast group memberships on stub subnets with attached group members. A
multicast router itself can be a multicast group member.
For a better understanding of the multicast concept, you can assimilate multicast transmission to the
transmission of TV programs, as shown in Table 1-1 .
Table 1-1 An analogy between TV transmission and multicast transmission
TV transmission Multicast transmission
A TV station transmits a TV program through a
channel.
A multicast source sends multicast data to a multicast
group.
A user tunes the TV set to the channel. A receiver joins the multicast group.
The user starts to watch the TV program
transmitted by the TV station via the channel.
The receiver starts to receive the multicast data that the
source is sending to the multicast group.
The user turns off the TV set or tunes to another
channel.
The receiver leaves the multicast group or joins another
group.
Common Notations in Multicast
Two notations are commonly used in multicast:
z (*, G): Indicates a rendezvous point tree (RPT), or a multicast packet that any multicast source
sends to multicast group G. Here “*” represents any multicast source, while “G” represents a
specific multicast group.
z (S, G): Indicates a shortest path tree (SPT), or a multicast packet that multicast source S sends
to multicast group G. Here “S” represents a specific multicast source, while “G” represents a
specific multicast group.
For details about the concepts RPT and SPT, see PIM Configuration or IPv6 PIM Configuration in
the IP Multicast Configuration Guide.
Advantages and Applications of Multicast
Advantages of multicast
Advantages of the multicast technique include:
z Enhanced efficiency: reduces the CPU load of information source servers and network devices.
z Optimal performance: reduces redundant traffic.
z Distributive application: enables point-to-multipoint applications at the price of minimum
network resources.