Streaming media over multicast

Abstract

Multicast is a routing scheme that allows efficient broadcast of media and other content over a network. By multiplication of the data in the routers on the way to their destination, it allows servers to save bandwidth by only sending one stream to multiple receivers. Though the use of multicast over the internet is rather limited. There are several reasons why multicast should be used and why in contrary it is not used. ISP’s and content providers are not willing to change their systems to this efficient way of working, in fear of losing money from commercial perspective. There are ways around the blockage of ISPs. In this thesis multicast will be explained and a simulation of a multicast enabled internet will be set up. This simulation includes the setting up of a streaming server, the effects of a multicast enabled and disabled ISP and a server side workaround.