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Zacharias
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IPTV Configuration

Wed Jul 21, 2021 10:04 pm

I need some help to understand how IPTV works and what configuration is needed as far as the Router and switches are concerned...

Up to now i ve seen that multicast packet must be installed...

But what protocol must be used ? IGMP Proxy or PIM and what is better ? I found implementations with both IGMP Proxy and PIM ..

Lets say there is a Router (R1) -> Switch (SW1) ->IP TV ...
Do i need to install the multicast packet on both the Router and the Switch ?
Will the switch be affected by the multicast traffic since IGMP and PIM are Layer 3 Protocols ? Does the switch need a different configration than the Router ? In my case the Switches are CRS328's ...
Also, the Headend or the Stream Server of the IPTV as i ve seen should be connected directly to the Router and not the Switch, right ? Any more information about the configuration needed ?

Thanks
 
tangent
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Re: IPTV Configuration

Thu Jul 22, 2021 5:18 am

understand how IPTV works

Okay, let's bring you up to speed on what some people spend their whole careers on... 🙄

I advise asking only specific questions on huge topics like this. Open-ended ones either result in vague answers or reference manuals.

Up to now i ve seen that multicast packet must be installed...

Not necessarily. That optional package provides a pair of services for getting IGMP across a routing boundary, since it's normally a LAN-bound protocol. If your sources and sinks are on the same LAN, you need neither the IGMP proxy nor PIM-SM. (But you do want IGMP snooping and an IGMP querier!)

what is better

Having only ever used PIM-SM, since it's a multi-vendor standard, I have only a sketchy idea of what MikroTik's IGMP proxy is. Hot take: a variant of the common IGMP querier that sits at a routing boundary instead of operating purely on the LAN. If that suffices, it sounds like a nice feature. PIM can be a pain to get working, so if you don't have to put up with it, don't.

Lets say there is a Router (R1) -> Switch (SW1) ->IP TV ...

IPTV is a double-ended system: source and sink. Which end is the one you're showing? Show the source or sink in relationship to the 3 components you have now to justify that arrangement. Without that, you're calling for either a brain dump or speculation.

Will the switch be affected by...IGMP

It will if you enable IGMP snooping, which is very much recommended along with an IGMP querier if you're not using MT's IGMP proxy, which provides the same function. Without IGMP snooping, multicast devolves to broadcast, which is almost certainly not what you want. It's one of the best reasons to use a managed switch instead of a dumb one in the first place.

and PIM

A switch proper does nothing with PIM.

However, many higher-end switches have PIM features, which makes them routers to my mind. Thus the blurred lines within MikroTik's CRS line, the RB260 versus the RB760, etc.

This is sometimes called "L3 switching" in consequence. What you have isn't a pure L2 device any more, so another name is needed. L3 switch, Cloud Router Switch, whatever. It simply means there are elements of both switching and routing in a single device.

Does the switch need a different configration than the Router

If they did not, the router would be a switch, or the switch would be a router. The fact that you're giving them different names means they have different roles, so the answer is "Yes."

the Headend or the Stream Server of the IPTV as i ve seen should be connected directly to the Router and not the Switch, right ?

That's entirely dependent on details of your installation. You can do it both ways to serve differing designs. What are you trying to accomplish, exactly? This brings us back to the question above: show the source (what you're calling the "headend") and sink (PC, STB, whatever) and explain why there needs to be both a router and a switch involved.
 
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Re: IPTV Configuration

Thu Jul 22, 2021 5:37 am

Okay, let's bring you up to speed on what some people spend their whole careers on... 🙄

I advise asking only specific questions on huge topics like this. Open-ended ones either result in vague answers or reference manuals.
Go back to Reddit
 
Zacharias
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Re: IPTV Configuration

Thu Jul 22, 2021 4:48 pm

Thanks for the replies...

Can i use one of CRS328's that the Headend is connected to as the IGMP Querier and the rest of the CRS328's that the TVs are connected to just have IGMP Snooping enabled ?
OR the Querier must be the Router in my network ?

Does it affect the performance of the CRS328 to act as a Querier or not ?
 
tangent
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Re: IPTV Configuration

Fri Jul 23, 2021 6:41 am

Can i use one of CRS328's that the Headend is connected to as the IGMP Querier

The only thing you need to ensure is that the querier is sufficiently "central" on your network that:

  • the querier is in a position to see the clients' IGMP group join and group leave packets
  • IGMP group query packets sent by the querier get seen by all of the other affected IGMP snooping switches
  • the replies also go back to the querier

Other than that, the querier's position on the network isn't strongly constrained.

the Querier must be the Router in my network ?

If the IPTV sources are on the other side of that router, then putting the querier there would be a good choice.

However, your use of the word "headend" implies that the IPTV sources are inside the LAN, so the headend's CRS328 is a better place for it, since the router isn't "central" in this arrangement.

Does it affect the performance of the CRS328 to act as a Querier or not ?

It's an extremely lightweight task: a few UDP packets per multicast stream every minute or so.
 
Zacharias
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Re: IPTV Configuration

Mon Jul 26, 2021 10:01 pm

Indeed the IPTv sources are inside the LAN...
The CRS where the headend is connected is configured as a Querier and Permanent Multicast Router...
Also all the ports in all the switches around the network where the TVs are connected have "fast-leave" enabled...
Igmp-snooping is ofcorse enabled in all the CRS switches...

Before configuring igmp i could see all the Traffic coming from the headend fllooding all the ports where the TVs are conected with the exact same amount of traffic, around 80Mbps in every port, as soon as i configured igmp every port had around 2-4 Mbps...

Everything seems ok...

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