Operation Manual â Multicast Protocol 
Quidway S3900 Series Ethernet Switches-Release 1510  Chapter 8  MSDP Configuration
 
Huawei Technologies Proprietary 
8-2 
RP1
Source
RP2
RP4
RP3
PIM-SM 1
PIM-SM 2
PIM-SM 3
PIM-SM 4
user
user
user
SA
SA
SA
SA
SA
SA message
MSDP peers
Join
Join
 
Figure 8-1 MSDP peering relationship 
 
î  Note: 
MSDP peers are interconnected over TCP connections (via port 639). A TCP 
connection can be established between RPs in different PIM-SM domains, between 
RPs in the same PIM-SM domain, between an RP and a common router, or between 
common routers. 
Figure 8-1 shows the MSDP peering relationship between RPs. 
Unless otherwise specified, examples in the following descriptions are based on MSDP 
peering relationship between RPs. 
 
An active multicast source S exists in the PIM-SM1 domain. RP1 in this domain learns 
the specific location of the multicast source S through multicast source register 
messages, and then sends source active (SA) messages periodically to MSDP peers 
(RP nodes) in other PIM-SM domains. An SA message contains the IP address of the 
multicast source S, the multicast group address G, the address of the RP that has 
generated the SA message, and the first multicast data received by the RP in the 
PIM-SM1 domain. The SA message is forwarded by peers. Finally, the SA message 
reaches all the MSDP peers. In this way, the information of multicast source S in the 
PIM-SM domain is delivered to all PIM-SM domains. 
By performing reverse path forwarding (RPF) check, MSDP peers accept SA 
messages only from the correct paths and forward the SA messages, thus avoiding SA 
message loop. In addition, you can configure a mesh group among MSDP peers to 
avoid SA flooding among MSDP peers.  
Assume that RP4 in the PIM-SM4 domain receives the SA message. RP4 checks 
whether receivers exist in the corresponding multicast group. If so, RP4 sends an (S, G) 
join message hop by hop to the multicast source S, thus creating a shortest path tree