Networking Advanced

What is Multicast?

A network communication method that sends data to multiple recipients simultaneously without duplicating packets for each recipient.

Multicast sends one packet that is replicated by the network to reach all interested receivers, unlike unicast (one-to-one) which requires separate packets per recipient. This is efficient for streaming media, stock market feeds, and software updates.

Multicast uses special IP ranges (224.0.0.0–239.255.255.255) and IGMP (Internet Group Management Protocol) for group membership. While efficient, multicast is complex to configure and not well supported across the public internet — mostly used in enterprise LANs and ISP networks.

Related Terms

A set of rules that control inbound and outbound traffic at the subnet level, acting as a stateless firewall in cloud and enterprise networks.

The fundamental communication protocol suite of the internet that defines how data is packaged, addressed, transmitted, and received.

HTTPS Everywhere

The practice of securing all web traffic with TLS encryption, ensuring data integrity and privacy between browsers and servers.

SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol)

A protocol for monitoring and managing network devices like routers, switches, servers, and printers remotely.

A network security system that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing traffic based on predetermined rules.

ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol)

A network protocol used for diagnostic and error reporting, including ping and traceroute functionality.

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