Windows Server® 2012 Unleashed

Using Cluster Operation Mode

There are three different cluster operation modes: Unicast, Multicast, and IGMP Multicast. Most traditional network traffic is unicast traffic where clients and servers maintain a one-to-one network connection. Multicast networking allows a server to send out information to one multicast address that is then processed by a number of clients. To receive multicast data, a client joins a multicast group associated with the multicast address, and one data feed or transmission is presented to the group by the server, thereby streamlining and improving network performance of the application. Multicast traffic is usually one direction and when the multicast client joins the group, it begins to receive the transmission. Common ...