IP Multicast : Advanced Multicast Concepts and Large-Scale Multicast Designs

IP multicast is central to today's enterprise and service provider networks. However, the set of technologies and practices surrounding IP multicast has evolved and matured: older books on the topic are severely out of date. IP Multicast Architectures offers comprehensive guidance for deploying modern IP multicast systems of all kinds: basic and advanced, enterprise and service provider.

Focused on Cisco devices and technologies,IP Multicast Architectures addresses common features, deployment models, and field best practices. Each section offers immersive real-world explanations of multicast theory, and present multiple case studies showcasing best-practice multicast design methodologies. Each case study is carefully crafted to offer pragmatic "first-hand" guidance for building the right network for each environment and set of applications.

Coverage includes Layer 2 and Layer 3 multicast; routing, forwarding, domains, inter-domain routing, wireless multicast forwarding, Inter-AS, mVPN, mVRF, cloud mVPN transport, and much more. Throughout, the authors' configurations, designs, features, and parameters reflect all that's been learned since IP multicast first became widespread.

Josh Loveless, CCIE No. 16638, is a systems engineering manager for Cisco Systems. He has been with Cisco since 2012, providing architecture and support services for tier 1 service providers as well as for many of Cisco’s largest enterprise customers, specializing in large-scale routing and switching designs. Prior to joining Cisco, he spent 15 years working for large service providers and enterprises as both an engineer and an architect, as well as providing training and architecture services to some of Cisco’s trusted partners. Josh maintains two CCIE certifications, Routing and Switching and Service Provider.

Ray Blair, CCIE No. 7050, is a distinguished systems engineer and has been with Cisco Systems since 1999. He uses his years of experience to align technology solutions with business needs to ensure customer success. Ray started his career in 1988, designing industrial monitoring and communication systems. Since that time, he has been involved with server/database administration and the design, implementation, and management of networks that included networking technologies from ATM to ZMODEM. He maintains three CCIE certifications in Routing and Switching, Security, and Service Provider (No. 7050), and he is also a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), and a Certified Business Architect (No. 00298). Ray is coauthor of three Cisco Press books, Cisco Secure Firewall Services Module, Tcl Scripting for Cisco IOS, and IP Multicast, Volume 1. He speaks at many industry events and is a Cisco Live distinguished speaker.

Arvind Durai, CCIE No. 7016, is a director of solution integration for Cisco Advanced Services. Arvind is a chief architect for advanced services for the West Enterprise Region, an organization of around 100 consultants focused on customer success for approximately 150 enterprise accounts. Over the past 18 years, Arvind has been responsible for supporting major Cisco customers in the enterprise sector, including financial, retail, manufacturing, e-commerce, state government, utility, and health care sectors. Some of his focuses have been on security, multicast, network virtualization, data center enterprise cloud adoption, automation, and software-defined infrastructure, and he has authored several white papers on various technologies. He has been involved in multicast designs for several enterprise customers in different verticals. He is also one of the contributors to the framework for the Advanced Services Multicast Audit tool, which helps customers assess their operational multicast network to industry best practices. Arvind maintains two CCIE certifications, Routing and Switching and Security, and also is a Certified Business Architect. He holds a bachelor of science degree in electronics and communication, a master’s degree in electrical engineering, and a master’s degree in business administration. He has coauthored four Cisco Press books: Cisco Secure Firewall Services Module, Virtual Routing in the Cloud, Tcl Scripting for Cisco IOS, and IP Multicast:, Volume 1. He has also coauthored IEEE WAN smart grid architecture and presented in many industry forums, such as IEEE and Cisco Live.