Multicast advice: Paging over multiple Cisco VoIP phone simultaneously using Informacast

[Supercell292929]

Hello,

     We have just discovered that in order for our Cisco Informacast server to broadcast emergency phone messages to all 1000+ Cisco VoIP phones we will need to enable multicasting throughout our network. I've been reading up on multicasting and there are so many avenues one can follow. If anyone can share a simple way to enable/test multicast I would certainly appreciate it!

To test Informacast initially, we will need to traverse the following:

Source: Informacast vm 

ESXi 5.5 (dynamic vswitching)

Hop 1: Dell Force 10 switch (will be migrating to a N9K [C9504] v7.0[3] in the next couple of months)

Hop 2: Cisco 6509 v12.2 (will be migrating to a N9K [C9504] v7.0[3] in the next couple of months)

Hop 3: Cisco 3550 v12.2(50)SE

Hop 4: Cisco Catalyst switches 2960S v15.2(2)E, 3548-XL v12.0(5)WC17 and 3560 v12.2(35)SE5

Final destination: Cisco IP Phone model 7965 and 8851 (again, we are just in the testing phases)

Thank you in advance,

Supercell

[Gregory Brunn]

You are going to want to use sparse mode.

On Cisco Layer 3 devices ensure you have multicast routing enabled globally..  

-Ip multicast routing

You need to set your rendezvous point. Choose your RP and replace the XX.XX.XX.XX with that IP address. I would use a loopback on your core switch

-ip pim rp-address XX.XX.XX.XX override

Then on all your layer 3 interfaces the multicast traffic needs to be enabled on you need to enter the following 

- ip pim sparse-mode

This commands may vary based on version.

Have fun....

[zaleski.krzysztof]

Hello,

Since InformaCast is used also for broadcasting emergency messages, is there any recommendation for secure multicast deployment? I was thinking about SSM, but many receivers do not support IGMPv3, and IGMP Snooping has some issues with IGMPv3 messages. Are there any other possibilities to make sure no 3rd party device will send fake messages?

Cheers,

Krzysztof

[Deepak Kumar]

Hi, 

I have configured Singlewire Infromcast system in my client office. 

Below is the configuration (3850) which is working from last one year:

ip multicast-routing 

!

ip pim rp-address <Infromacast server IP> PR-GROUP

!

!

ip access-list standard PR-GROUP
permit 239.0.1.2
! If you don't change the multicast IP.

!

!

! Source and Destination VLAN configuration.

interface VlanXX
description ****** VOICE ******
IP address x.x.x.x x.x.x.x
ip pim sparse-mode

!

Regards,

Deepak Kumar