Local networks where multicast is not supported
How often it can happens?
We use multicast to find other clients in the local network.
Windows network only if it make a sense.
ASKER
I just want to know, any possibility that some of our clients does not support multicast in the local network.
Is it possible at all? That the local network does not support multicast.
Maybe some old hardware may cause this problems ( routers, hubs, switches etc. )?
Currently we use broadcast ( and multicast as an option ), but we think to set multicast by default and we want to know about any possible problems.
Is it possible at all? That the local network does not support multicast.
Maybe some old hardware may cause this problems ( routers, hubs, switches etc. )?
Currently we use broadcast ( and multicast as an option ), but we think to set multicast by default and we want to know about any possible problems.
HUB would cause no problem as they are only electronic switches, no smarts, no frame or packet inspection.
Older layer 2 switches would also cause no problem as they do not look any further than the layer 2 headers.
Newer switches, layer 3 switches could be configured to block multicast packets, but they would have to be configured that way on purpose. Most routers do not router multicast packets.
You should encounter about the same issues with broadcast. Broadcasts can not cross routers, thus they can't cross physical LAN segments or logical (VLAN's).
Older layer 2 switches would also cause no problem as they do not look any further than the layer 2 headers.
Newer switches, layer 3 switches could be configured to block multicast packets, but they would have to be configured that way on purpose. Most routers do not router multicast packets.
You should encounter about the same issues with broadcast. Broadcasts can not cross routers, thus they can't cross physical LAN segments or logical (VLAN's).
ASKER
router not a problem. ok, I will try again ;)
We use broadcast now. Is it possible that somewhere broadcast will work but multicast not? ( without any special attention to switch configuration )
We use broadcast now. Is it possible that somewhere broadcast will work but multicast not? ( without any special attention to switch configuration )
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If you are talking about a multicast from your office that you want someone else to get from a remote office via the internet, then you will have problems as the internet does not widely support multicast.
For multicast to work everything would need to be internal.
For multicast to work everything would need to be internal.
All local networks should support Multicast. However in order to receive a multicast packet, you must have something that is listening on a specific multicast address.