Internet Protocols Questions Medium
The Internet Group Management Protocol version 2 (IGMPv2) is a communication protocol used by hosts and adjacent routers on an Internet Protocol (IP) network to manage multicast group memberships. Its primary role is to allow hosts to join or leave multicast groups and inform adjacent routers about these group memberships.
IGMPv2 enables hosts to signal their interest in receiving multicast traffic for specific multicast groups. When a host wants to join a multicast group, it sends an IGMPv2 membership report message to its local router. This message contains the IP address of the multicast group it wishes to join. The router then uses this information to update its multicast group membership table.
IGMPv2 also includes a mechanism for hosts to leave multicast groups. When a host no longer wants to receive traffic for a specific multicast group, it sends an IGMPv2 leave group message to its local router. The router then removes the host's entry from its multicast group membership table.
Additionally, IGMPv2 supports the concept of group membership queries. Routers periodically send IGMPv2 query messages to all hosts on a network to determine which multicast groups are still active. Hosts respond to these queries by sending IGMPv2 membership report messages, indicating their continued interest in receiving traffic for specific multicast groups.
Overall, the role of IGMPv2 is to facilitate the management of multicast group memberships, allowing hosts to join or leave multicast groups and routers to maintain accurate group membership information. This protocol is crucial for efficient and effective multicast communication within IP networks.