Multicast issue with Ghost

[admin_2]

I trying to setup for my PC team the ability to run symantec ghost across VLANS via multicast routers. Here is my question,

Let's assume i have my ghost server on

subnet 1 and my ghost clients( four of them) on subnet 2. I start my

ghost session with Client1 by sending multicast stream of image data

to it from the multicast server via a multicast router. If i want the same image on the other three client computers

but start the process 15minute interval of each other on these

computers, AM I GOING TO HAVE 4 DIFFERENT STREAMS OF DATA FROM THE

SOURCE (MULTICAST SERVER)GOING TO EACH OF THESE CLIENT COMPUTERS VIA THE MULTICAST ROUTER?

[noran01]

Its been a while since i used that setup but i believe if you do it your way you will have different streams because they all joined at diff times. If you are dumping an image from the ghost server to the clients then you can have all the ghost clients join the multicast server and then just push it out at once, but if you are dumping the images from the client to the server they will all be different anyway right?

[robho]

No, the point of multicast is to send one continuous stream and having the switch forward to all "interested" ports. But, if the clients must be receiving the stream at the beginning, then obviuosly yes, you will have to send another stream but use a different multicast address.

As a side note, if your switch supports IGMP snooping, it will constrain this traffic until a Join is received from the PC. If the PC does not send a Join, then you will need to set a static multicast entry on the switch.

[milan.kulik]

Hi,

there is also a unicast image transport option in the latest Ghost version.

I recommend using unicasts. Multicasts have no advantage while sending an image to/from one PC. (On the contrary, I've noticed many discussions about Ghost breaking networks with multicast flooding.)

The only reason for using multicasts is a case of simultanious image transfer form Ghost server to mutliple PCs at the same time (but you have to start the transfer to all PCs at the same time, of course).

Regards,

Milan