Users Manual – svs4021, svs2020,svs2050, svs2051, svs1020, svs1050, svs285, svs340, svs625
p. 71
Last Update 20.07.2009
17.10.9
Distributing image streams by multicast
The image stream of a GigE camera can be distributed to multiple PCs by using
the multicast capabilities of current network hardware, in particular multicast-
enabled switches. The following picture explains the basic principle:
A camera streams image data in a certain IP range (232.x.x.x) which has been
determined for dynamic local host multicast allocation by the IANA organisation
(see
http://www.iana.org/assignments/multicast-addresses
for more details).
A multicast-enabled switch is supposed to distribute the image stream to one,
two or more applications. The advantage of having a switch distributing image
streams is the optimal bandwidth usage between camera and switch as well as
between switch and particular applications. There is no bandwidth wasted in the
described scenario.
A multicast session consists of one controlling application and one or more
listening applications. Only the controlling application has write-access to the
camera. All other applications can only listen to the image stream that is
initiated and controlled by the controlling application.
The connection between the controlling application and the camera is
established as usual based on IP addresses. However, a switch has to be
specifically instructed for forwarding an image stream also to one or more
listening application. This is done by network packets which are sent out by
applications regularly all 60 seconds and which detection in a switch is known
as “
IGMP snooping
”.
NOTE: A switch has to support “IGMP snooping” in order to establish a
successful multicast session.
Most often that feature is switched off in
normal mode and has to be enabled by the web interface of a switch. Please
refer to instructions of a switch that is supposed to work in multicast mode.