
12
IGMP snooping configuration
This chapter includes these sections:
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IGMP snooping configuration task list
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Displaying and maintaining IGMP snooping
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IGMP snooping configuration examples
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Troubleshooting IGMP snooping configuration
IGMP snooping overview
Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) snooping is a multicast constraining mechanism that
runs on Layer 2 devices to manage and control multicast groups.
Principle of IGMP snooping
By analyzing received IGMP messages, a Layer 2 switch that is running IGMP snooping establishes
mappings between ports and multicast MAC addresses, and forwards multicast data based on these
mappings.
When IGMP snooping is not running on the switch, multicast packets are flooded to all devices at
Layer 2. When IGMP snooping is running on the switch, multicast packets for known multicast
groups are multicast to the receivers, rather than broadcast to all hosts, at Layer 2.
Figure 10 Before and after IGMP snooping is enabled on the Layer 2 device
IGMP snooping forwards multicast data to only the receivers that require the data at Layer 2. It brings
the following advantages:
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Reducing Layer 2 broadcast packets, saving network bandwidth
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Enhancing the security of multicast traffic