Installation manual

3-257
SIGNAMAX LLC • www.signamax.eu
Multicast VLAN Registration
Multicast VLAN Registration (MVR) is a protocol that controls access to a single
network-wide VLAN most commonly used for transmitting multicast traffic (such as
television channels or video-on-demand) across a service provider’s network. Any
multicast traffic entering an MVR VLAN is sent to all attached subscribers. This protocol
can significantly reduce the processing overhead required to dynamically monitor and
establish the distribution tree for a normal multicast VLAN. This makes it possible to
support common multicast services over a wide part of the network without having to use
any multicast routing protocol.
MVR maintains the user isolation and data security provided by VLAN segregation by
passing only multicast traffic into other VLANs to which the subscribers belong. Even
though common multicast streams are passed onto different VLAN groups from the MVR
VLAN, users in different IEEE 802.1Q or private VLANs cannot exchange any information
(except through upper-level routing services).
General Configuration Guidelines for MVR
1. Enable MVR globally on the switch, select the MVR VLAN, and add the multicast
groups that will stream traffic to attached hosts (see “Configuring Global MVR
Settings” on page 3-258).
2. Set the interfaces that will join the MVR as source ports or receiver ports (see
“Configuring MVR Interface Status” on page 3-262).
3. Enable IGMP Snooping to a allow a subscriber to dynamically join or leave an MVR
group (see “Configuring IGMP Snooping and Query Parameters” on page 3-245).
Note that only IGMP version 2 or 3 hosts can issue multicast join or leave messages.
4. For multicast streams that will run for a long term and be associated with a stable set
of hosts, you can statically bind the multicast group to the participating interfaces (see
“Assigning Static Multicast Groups to Interfaces” on page 3-263).
Multicast Router
Layer 2 Switch
Multicast Server
PC
TV
Set-top Box
TV
Set-top Box
Satellite Services
Service
Network
Source
Port
Receiver
Ports