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DSL Providers that Support Multicast & MBone?

Posted by Cliff on from the getting-the-most-out-of-your-internet-link dept.

kaosmunkee asks: "I was fortunate enough to have an opportunity to use the MBone (Multicast Backbone) several years ago when it was just getting underway. I've recently become interested in experimenting with IP multicast and the MBone again, but my DSL provider doesn't provide IP multicast services. Pacbell doesn't either. Does anyone know of a national DSL provider that supports IP multicast?"

7 of 13 comments (clear)

  1. Not Really by doon · · Score: 2

    Having worked for and help start a company that did multicasting. There is not a lot of support for multicasting on the big DSL companies. Part of the reason is the way their infrastructure is built. Basically they run a pipe, (T1/DS3/etc...) out to a pop. Then they build atm pvc's (at real low bandwidth) to each one of their customers, all the way back to their noc. So their is no benefit to multicast enable their equipment. A couple of the bigger cable ISP's are either multicast enabled now, or will be very shortly once the DOCSIS 1.1 stuff roles out onto their networks. If you are stuck on a non-multicast network and would like to play, take a look at livegate from http://www.live.com. It should be useful in getting you connected. You may get lucky with a smaller dsl provider, but most of the time, there aren't that many people that know how or care to enable multicast, and also not all of the Backbone providers support it.

    Hope this Helps,

    Patrick

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    1. Re:Not Really by akb · · Score: 2

      You refer to no benefit due to the way infrastructure is deployed to the end user but isn't the real benefit realized on the ISP's backbone and at its peering points? I wouldn't think end user bandwidth would be a big win presently because the density of users on any one live multimedia experience is probably pretty low in a neighborhood served by one CO. Of course, if DSL is to be a delivery system for, say, the Super Bowl it would have to solve the problem you describe.

    2. Re:Not Really by akb · · Score: 2

      AC wrote:

      Just curious, but what incentive is there for DSL providers to enable multicast anyway? I'm not trolling, or faming or anything, just asking a question; you seem to know about it. What are the benefits/costs for the company, benefits/costs for the consumer? What good is it for anyway? Thanks!

      Multicast reduces bandwidth usage because if multiple users are receiving the same live stream on a network only one copy of the stream has to traverse that network.

      The downside of multicast is that it requires every piece of equipment in between the source and receiver to be multicast enabled, there a costs to upgrading network infrastructure to support multicast. Operating a multicast enabled network can be complex because many of the protocols are immature, there are costs to training staff.

      MBONE FAQ
      Multicast FAQ from multicasttech

  2. Multicast unreliable by CharlieG · · Score: 2

    There is one problem with multicast. It's very unreliable. A lot of IOS versions have bugs with it.

    I'm a developer who has an app that uses Multicast. We have to fight to get the routers configured correctly all the time. I doubt you'll see most routers out there setup correctly

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  3. good question by akb · · Score: 2

    I think this is a very important question, thanks to Slashdot for finally posting it. Users should demand multicast connectivity. A multicast enabled internet would dramatically lower the cost of delivering multimedia content, thus making a wider variety of content available. Currently, delivering multimedia to large numbers of users is quite expensive, preventing many from having access to large audiences.

    MSN used to offer multicast connectivity, I'm not sure when they stopped. Anyone know the story on this?

    A few things consumers can do:

    -if you are shopping for an ISP of any kind ask about multicast and try to get the question to get as high up the chain as possible.

    -Sprint offers free multicast connectivity to its ISP customers, if yours peers with them let them know this. (does Sprint offer multicast connectivity to its consumer grade customers?)

    -check to see if you've got multicast connectivity through this applet from multicasttech. If you are let other people know about your ISP, on forums like dslreports

  4. speakeasy by akb · · Score: 2
    I got this reply from Speakeasy when asking about getting on the MBONE:



    Unfortunately, we do not support MBONE connectivity. You could set it up personally with our DSL, but the setup would most likely be suboptimal. You'd need to load all of the proper software kernels and configurations, etc.


    This sounds like their network supports it but not their phone drones.
  5. Find a tunnel endpoint. by fwc · · Score: 2
    I haven't seen a response that I felt hit on this point adequately.

    You don't necessarily need your direct upstream provider to do multicast natively. If you can find a provider willing to provide you a tunnel then you just need an appropriate piece of hardware/software to become your end of the tunnel. Linux and FreeBSD boxes work great for this, along with most "real" cisco routers.

    Start with your upstream and ask them two things. 1) If they will provide you with a tunnel and 2) If not, who are their providers so you can get a tunnel from one of them. Generally, the multicast people are fairly open to providing tunnels to people who are even indirectly connected to them, although YMMV.

    Look around a bit with some Google searches and you should be able to find someone who will give you a tunnel.

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