Filter
Top Products
Multicast Address Boundaries Overview Configuring Multicast Address Boundaries
page 5-4 OmniSwitch 6800/6850/9000 Advanced Routing Configuration Guide December 2007
Multicast Address Boundaries Overview
Multicast Addresses and the IANA
The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) regulates unique parameters for different types of
network protocols. For example, the IANA regulates addresses for IP, DVMRP, PIM, PIM-SSM, etc., and
also provides a range of administratively scoped multicast addresses. For more information, refer to the
section below.
Administratively Scoped Multicast Addresses
Multicast addresses 239.0.0.0 through 239.255.255.255 have been reserved by the IANA as administra-
tively scoped addresses for use in private multicast domains. These addresses cannot be used for any other
protocol or network function. Because they are regulated by the IANA, these addresses can theoretically
be used by network administrators without conflicting with networks outside of their multicast domains.
However, to ensure that the addresses used in a private multicast domain do not conflict with other
domains (e.g., within the company network or out on the Internet), multicast address boundaries must be
configured.
Source-Specific Multicast Addresses
Multicast addresses 232.0.0.0 through 232.255.255.255 have been reserved by the Internet Assigned
Numbers Authority (IANA) as source-specific multicast (SSM) destination addresses. Addresses within
this range are reserved for use by source-specific applications and protocols (e.g., PIM-SSM) and cannot
be used for any other functions or protocols.