Dr. multicast: Rx for data center communication scalability

Abstract

Data centers avoid IP Multicast (IPMC) because of a series of problems with the technology. We introduce Dr. Multicast (MCMD), a system that maps IPMC operations to a combination of point-to-point unicast and traditional IPMC transmissions. MCMD optimizes the use of IPMC addresses within a data center, while simultaneously respecting an administrator-specified acceptable-use policy. We argue that with the resulting range of options, IPMC no longer represents a threat and can therefore be used much more widely. © ACM 2008.