300-420 Question 286
Single answerAn enterprise network requires a multicast design for a financial application that distributes stock price updates to multiple branch offices. The updates need to flow only from the source to the receivers, and no shared tree is required. Which multicast design approach is most suitable for this requirement?
- A
Source-Specific Multicast (SSM)
- B
PIM Sparse Mode (PIM-SM)
- C
PIM Bidirectional
- D
Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP)
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
Source-Specific Multicast (SSM) is the best choice when multicast traffic flows only from a specific source to receivers. It avoids the complexity of building shared trees and provides a straightforward solution. In this scenario, the requirement specifies a unidirectional flow from the source to receivers, which aligns perfectly with SSM's design principles.
- A. Correct.
Source-Specific Multicast (SSM) is ideal when multicast traffic flows only from a specific source to receivers. It simplifies the multicast tree by avoiding shared trees and only using source-based distribution, which matches the scenario requirements.
- B. Incorrect.
PIM Sparse Mode (PIM-SM) uses shared trees by default, which is not necessary in this scenario since the traffic flow is source-specific. It also adds complexity in comparison to SSM.
- C. Incorrect.
PIM Bidirectional is used for bidirectional traffic where receivers also act as potential sources, which is not applicable in this scenario since traffic flows only from a single source to receivers.
- D. Incorrect.
Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP) is used to interconnect multiple PIM-SM domains and share multicast sources between them. This is not relevant to the given scenario, as it involves only a local source and receivers.