IGMP version 2
IGMP version 2 improves upon version 1 by specifying IGMP Leave messages, which allows hosts to
notify routers that they no longer care about traffic for a particular group. Leave messages reduce the
amount of time that the router takes to stop forwarding traffic for a group to a subnet (leave latency) after
the last host leaves the group. In version 1 hosts quietly leave groups, and the router waits for a query
response timer several times the value of the query interval to expire before it stops forwarding traffic.
To receive multicast traffic from a particular source, a host must join the multicast group to which the
source is sending traffic. A host that is a member of a group is called a receiver. A host may join many
groups, and may join or leave any group at any time. A host joins and leaves a multicast group by sending
an IGMP message to its IGMP Querier. The querier is the router that surveys a subnet for multicast
receivers, and processes survey responses to populate the multicast routing table.
IGMP messages are encapsulated in IP packets, as shown in
Figure 18-1. IGMP version 2 Packet Format
Version
IHL
TOS
(4)
(0xc0)
Joining a Multicast Group
There are two ways that a host may join a multicast group: it may respond to a general query from its
querier, or it may send an unsolicited report to its querier.
Responding to an IGMP Query
1. One router on a subnet is elected as the querier. The querier periodically multicasts (to
all-multicast-systems address 224.0.0.1) a general query to all hosts on the subnet.
2. A host that wants to join a multicast group responds with an IGMP Membership Report that contains
the multicast address of the group it wants to join (the packet is addressed to the same group). If
multiple hosts want to join the same multicast group, only the report from the first host to respond
reaches the querier, and the remaining hosts suppress their responses (see
Response Timers on page 368
3. The querier receives the report for a group and adds the group to the list of multicast groups associated
with its outgoing port to the subnet. Multicast traffic for the group is then forwarded to that subnet.
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Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP)
362
Start Frame
Source MAC
Preamble
Destination MAC
Ethernet Type
Delimiter
Flags
Frag Offset
TTL
Total Length
(1)
for how the delay timer mechanism works).
Figure
Padding
IP Packet
Protocol
Header
Src IP Addr
Dest IP Addr
Options
(2)
Checksum
(Router Alert)
Code: 0x11: Membership Query
0x12: IGMP version 1 Membership Report
0x16: IGMP version 2 Membership Report
0x17: IGMP Leave Group
18-1.
FCS
Padding
IGMP Packet
Type
Max. Response
Checksum
Time
8 bits
16 bits
Adjusting Query and
Group Address
May be zero and ignored by hosts for
general queries or contain a group
address for group-specific queries
fnC0069mp