IP Multicast
IP Multicast allows information to be delivered to a group of destinations simultaneously, passing through each network linik only once and creating copies only when the paths to the destinations split. This conserves bandwidth in comparison to unicast, in which each data packet is sent to each destination and total bandwidth is directly related to the number of destinations. As an example, students in a dorm watching a multicast lecture would cause a single stream of data from the source to the switch in the dorm where their individual wall jacks connect. A unicast of the same lecture would cause as many data streams as computers receiving the unicast.
Multicast on campus
Multicast is already enabled on several subnets on campus, as needed. If you require multicast in an area where it doesn't already exist, send e-mail to noc@uchicago.edu to have multicasting enabled.
