Exploring efficient and scalable multicast routing in future data center networks

Abstract

Multicast benefits group communications in saving network traffic and improving application throughput, both of which are important for data center applications. However, the technical trend of future data center design poses new challenges for efficient and scalable Multicast routing. First, the densely connected networks make traditional receiver-driven Multicast routing protocols inefficient in Multicast tree formation. Second, it is quite difficult for the low-end switches largely used in data centers to hold the routing entries of massive Multicast groups.