How the IGMP protocol works

IGMP manages multicast group memberships based on the query and response mechanism.

IGMP is an internal protocol of the IP suite. IP manages multicast traffic by using switches, multicast routers, and hosts that support IGMP. A multicast router is not necessary as long as a switch is configured to support IGMP with the querier feature enabled. A set of hosts, routers, and/or switches that send or receive multicast data streams to or from the same sources, is called a multicast group. All devices in the group use the same multicast group address.

The multicast group uses three fundamental types of messages to communicate:

  • Query: A message sent from the querier (multicast router or switch) asking for a response from each host belonging to the multicast group. If a multicast router supporting IGMP is not present, the switch must assume this function to elicit group membership information from the hosts on the network.

  • Join: A message sent by a host to the querier to indicate that the host wants to be or is a member of a given group indicated in the join message.

  • Leave group: A message sent by a host to the querier to indicate that the host has ceased to be a member of a specific multicast group.

An IP multicast packet includes the multicast group (address) to which the packet belongs. When an IGMP client connected to a switch port needs to receive multicast traffic from a specific group, it joins the group by sending an IGMP join request to the network. (The multicast group specified in the join request is determined by the requesting application running on the IGMP client.)

When a network device with IGMP enabled receives the join request for a specific group, it forwards any IP multicast traffic it receives for that group through the port on which the join request was received.

When the client is ready to leave the multicast group, it sends a Leave Group message to the network and ceases to be a group member. When the leave request is detected, the appropriate IGMP device ceases transmitting traffic for the designated multicast group through the port on which the leave request was received (as long as there are no other current members of that group on the affected port.)

Thus, IGMP identifies members of a multicast group (within a subnet) and allows IGMP-configured hosts (and routers) to join or leave multicast groups.