Multicast routing Question

[Arjun Dabol]

Experts,

I have a basic doubt how multicast routing flows (source to destination point of view) :-

• I know that range 224.0.0.0 to 239.255.255.255 is used for assigning IP to any multicast user (the destination)  - my doubt is 'how' it gets assign ? is it like whenever a user tunes in to video stream he gets one of these IP ?
• Where these IPs (224.0.0.0 to 239.255.255.255) are configured ultimately ? on switch or on video server ?
• what will be the IP of video server in such case , will that also be in same range as above?

I understand the various mode like sparse..dense but I am not sure about above doubt.

any help is appriciated

Thanks

[Joseph W. Doherty · Accepted solution]

Multicast sources select a multicast IP to "send" to.  Multicast receivers select a multicast IP to "receive" from.  When multicast sources and receivers are using the same multicast IP, multicast packets should (if you have a multicast capable and enabled infrastructure) flow from the sources to the receivers.  However, a receiver's multicast application generally also insures the multicast packets are those actually desired.  If they are not, they are ignored.

Actual configuration of the multicast IP, whether source or receiver, is generally done within a multicast application.