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In computer networking a multicast address is an identifier for a group of hosts that have joined a multicast group.
IPv4 multicast addresses
Within IPv4 it is historically known as a class D address, a type of IP address. It ranges from 224.0.0.0 to 239.255.255.255, or, equivalently, 224.0.0.0/4 (see Classless Inter-Domain Routing). Address assignments from within this range are specified in the IETF 'best current practice' document also known as RFC 3171.
The 224.0.0.0 to 224.0.0.255 range is assigned to multicasting on the local LAN only. Well known examples are RIP which uses 224.0.0.9 and OSPF which uses 224.0.0.5.
The following table is a partial list of well-known Class D addresses that are reserved for IP multicasting and registered with the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA).
| IP multicast address | Description |
|---|---|
| 224.0.0.0 | Base address (reserved) |
| 224.0.0.1 | The All Hosts multicast group that contains all systems on the same network segment |
| 224.0.0.2 | The All Routers multicast group that contains all routers on the same network segment |
| 224.0.0.5 | The Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) AllSPFRouters address. Used to send OSPF routing information to all OSPF routers on a network segment |
| 224.0.0.6 | The OSPF AllDRouters address. Used to send OSPF routing information to OSPF designated routers on a network segment |
| 224.0.0.9 | The RIP Version 2 group address. Used to send RIP routing information to all RIP v2 routers on a network segment |
| 224.0.0.10 | IGRP group address. Used to send IGRP routing information to all IGRP routers on a network segment |
| 224.0.0.18 | Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol |
| 224.0.0.102 | Hot Standby Router Protocol Version 2 |
| 224.0.1.41 | H.323 Gatekeeper discovery address |
For a full and current listing of additional IP addresses that are reserved for multicasting, see the Internet Multicast Addresses Web site.
The 233.0.0.0/8 range has been assigned by RFC 2770 as public multicast address space that is aligned along autonomous system number allocations. Each byte of the AS number corresponds to the second and third octets of the multicast address.
The 239.0.0.0/8 range has been assigned by RFC 2365 as a locally administered address space with local or organizational scope.
For advice on choosing multicast addresses for use in your application, see this page on multicast address assignment.
IPv6 multicast addresses
Multicast addresses in IPv6 all have the prefix ff00::/8. Address assignments from within this range are specified in RFC 2373.
Bits 8 to 11 of the address (i.e., the third hexadecimal digit) are a set of flags, of which only the fourth is currently defined: 0 indicates an address permanently assigned by the IANA, and 1 indicates a non-permanently assigned or "transient" address. (In the addresses given below, an "x" indicates that the value of the digit in that position is unimportant in the current discussion.)
Similar to unicast addresses, IPv6 multicast addresses have different scopes depending on their prefix, though the range of possible scopes is different. The scope is indicated by bits 12 to 15:
- ffx0::/16 and ff0f::/16 are reserved.
- ffx1::/16 is interface-local, meaning packets with this destination address may not be sent over any network link, but must remain within the current node; this is the multicast equivalent of the unicast loopback address.
- ffx2::/16 is link-local, meaning packets with this destination address may not be routed anywhere.
- ffx4::/16 is admin-local, i.e. "the smallest scope that must be administratively configured".
- ffx5::/16 is site-local, i.e. restricted to the local physical network.
- ffx8::/16 is organization-local, i.e. restricted to networks used by the organisation administering the local network. (For example, these addresses might be used over VPNs; when packets for this group are routed over the public internet (where these addresses are not valid), they would have to be encapsulated in some other protocol.)
- ffxe::/16 is global scope, i.e. eligible to be routed over the public internet.
- Other scopes are unassigned.
These scopes are described in RFC 4291.
The "meaning" of a multicast address is unaffected by its scope; for example, if ff02::43 refers to all NTP servers on the local network segment, then ff08::43 refers to all NTP servers in an organisation's networks.
The following table is a partial list of well-known IPv6 multicast addresses that are registered with the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA).
| Address | Description |
|---|---|
| ff02::1 | All nodes on the local network segment (equivalent to the IPv4 link-local broadcast address, 169.254.255.255) |
| ff02::2 | All routers on the local network segment |
| ff05::1 | All nodes on the local network site (roughly equivalent to the IPv4 local broadcast addresses 10.255.255.255 and 192.168.255.255) |
| ff0x::fb | Multicast DNS |
| ff0x::108 | Network Information Service |
| ff0x::114 | Used for experiments |
| ff05::1:3 | All DHCP servers on the local network site (defined in RFC 3315) |
For a full and current listing of additional addresses that are allocated for multicasting, see the Internet Protocol Version 6 Multicast Addresses web site.
Ethernet multicast addresses
Some well known Ethernet multicast addresses:
| Ethernet multicast address | Type Field | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| 01-00-0C-CC-CC-CC | 0x0802 | CDP (Cisco Discovery Protocol), VTP (Virtual Trunking Protocol) |
| 01-00-0C-CC-CC-CD | 0x0802 | SSTP address |
| 01-80-C2-00-00-00 | 0x0802 | Spanning Tree Protocol (for bridges) IEEE 802.1D |
| 01-00-5E-xx-xx-xx | 0x0800 | IPv4 Multicast Address (RFC1112) |
| 33-33-00-00-00-00 | 0x86DD | IPv6 Neighbor Discovery |
See also
"Multicast address"