IPmulticastprotokollaan

IPmulticastprotokollaan, often referred to as IP multicast, is a networking technology that allows a single stream of data to be sent to multiple recipients simultaneously. Instead of sending individual copies of the same data to each destination, which is inefficient for many-to-one communication, IP multicast delivers the data to a group address. Devices that wish to receive the data join this group. Routers on the network then intelligently replicate and forward the data only to the network segments where group members are present. This is achieved through a distributed protocol called IGMP (Internet Group Management Protocol) which allows hosts to signal their membership in multicast groups to their local router. The router then uses this information to build and maintain a multicast distribution tree. IP multicast is widely used for applications such as video streaming, online gaming, stock market data distribution, and software updates where efficient delivery to a large, dynamic audience is crucial. It significantly reduces bandwidth consumption and server load compared to unicast or broadcast methods.