Information About Configuring MSDP
This section describes how to configure the Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP on the switch. The MSDP connects multiple Protocol-Independent Multicast sparse-mode (PIM-SM) domains.
MSDP is not fully supported in this software release because of a lack of support for Multicast Border Gateway Protocol (MBGP), which works closely with MSDP. However, it is possible to create default peers that MSDP can operate with if MBGP is not running.
![]() Note |
To use this feature, the active switch must be running the Network Advantage feature set. |
MSDP Overview
MSDP allows multicast sources for a group to be known to all rendezvous points (RPs) in different domains. Each PIM-SM domain uses its own RPs and does not depend on RPs in other domains. An RP runs MSDP over the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) to discover multicast sources in other domains.
An RP in a PIM-SM domain has an MSDP peering relationship with MSDP-enabled devices in another domain. The peering relationship occurs over a TCP connection, primarily exchanging a list of sources sending to multicast groups. The TCP connections between RPs are achieved by the underlying routing system. The receiving RP uses the source lists to establish a source path.
The purpose of this topology is to have domains discover multicast sources in other domains. If the multicast sources are of interest to a domain that has receivers, multicast data is delivered over the normal, source-tree building mechanism in PIM-SM. MSDP is also used to announce sources sending to a group. These announcements must originate at the domain’s RP.
MSDP depends heavily on the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) or MBGP for interdomain operation. We recommend that you run MSDP in RPs in your domain that are RPs for sources sending to global groups to be announced to the Internet.
MSDP Operation
When a source sends its first multicast packet, the first-hop router (designated router or RP) directly connected to the source sends a PIM register message to the RP. The RP uses the register message to register the active source and to forward the multicast packet down the shared tree in the local domain. With MSDP configured, the RP also forwards a source-active (SA) message to all MSDP peers. The SA message identifies the source, the group the source is sending to, and the address of the RP or the originator ID (the IP address of the interface used as the RP address), if configured.
Each MSDP peer receives and forwards the SA message away from the originating RP to achieve peer reverse-path flooding (RPF). The MSDP device examines the BGP or MBGP routing table to discover which peer is the next hop toward the originating RP of the SA message. Such a peer is called an RPF peer (reverse-path forwarding peer). The MSDP device forwards the message to all MSDP peers other than the RPF peer. For information on how to configure an MSDP peer when BGP and MBGP are not supported, see the Configuring a Default MSDP Peer.
If the MSDP peer receives the same SA message from a non-RPF peer toward the originating RP, it drops the message. Otherwise, it forwards the message to all its MSDP peers.
The RP for a domain receives the SA message from an MSDP peer. If the RP has any join requests for the group the SA message describes and if the (*,G) entry exists with a nonempty outgoing interface list, the domain is interested in the group, and the RP triggers an (S,G) join toward the source. After the (S,G) join reaches the source’s DR, a branch of the source tree has been built from the source to the RP in the remote domain. Multicast traffic can now flow from the source across the source tree to the RP and then down the shared tree in the remote domain to the receiver.

By default, the switch does not cache source or group pairs from received SA messages. When the switch forwards the MSDP SA information, it does not store it in memory. Therefore, if a member joins a group soon after an SA message is received by the local RP, that member needs to wait until the next SA message to hear about the source. This delay is known as join latency.
Local RPs can send SA requests and get immediate responses for all active sources for a given group. By default, the switch does not send any SA request messages to its MSDP peers when a new member joins a group and wants to receive multicast traffic. The new member waits to receive the next periodic SA message.
If you want a new member of a group to learn the active multicast sources in a connected PIM sparse-mode domain that are sending to a group, configure the switch to send SA request messages to the specified MSDP peer when a new member joins a group.
MSDP Benefits
MSDP has these benefits:
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It breaks up the shared multicast distribution tree. You can make the shared tree local to your domain. Your local members join the local tree, and join messages for the shared tree never need to leave your domain.
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PIM sparse-mode domains can rely only on their own RPs, decreasing reliance on RPs in another domain. This increases security because you can prevent your sources from being known outside your domain.
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Domains with only receivers can receive data without globally advertising group membership.
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Global source multicast routing table state is not required, saving memory.