Configuring a static RP

Configure a static RP to ignore the BSR mechanism and use the statically configured RPs only. A static RP-enabled switch uses this feature to communicate with switches from other vendors that do not use the BSR mechanism.

Before you begin

  • Before you can configure a static RP, you must enable the following:

    • PIM-SM

    • static RP

Procedure

  1. In the navigation pane, expand the following folders: Configuration > IP.
  2. Click PIM.
  3. Click the Static RP tab.
  4. Click Insert.
  5. Type the required information in each box.
  6. Click Insert.

Static RP field descriptions

Use the descriptions in the following table to use the Static RP tab.

Name

Description

GroupAddress

Configures the IP address of the multicast group. When combined with the group mask, this value identifies the range of the multicast addresses that the RP handles.

GroupMask

Configures the address mask of the multicast group. When combined with the group address, this value identifies the range of the multicast addresses that the RP handles.

Address

Configures the IP address of the static RP.

Status

Shows the current status of the static RP entry. The status is valid if the switch uses a unicast route to the network for the static RP and is invalid otherwise.

Job aid

Keep in mind the following configuration considerations:

  • Static RPs do not age; they cannot time out.

  • Switches do not advertise static RPs, so, if a new PIM neighbor joins the network, it does not know about the static RP unless you configure it with that static RP.

  • Configure all the switches in the network (including switches from other vendors) to map to the same RP for certain group range.

  • To avoid a single point of failure, you can configure redundant static RPs for the same group prefix. If you use a mix of vendor switches across the network, ensure that all switches or routers use the same active RP because vendors use different algorithms to elect the active RP. This switch uses the hash function defined in the PIM-SM standard to elect the active RP; other vendors can use the lowest IP address to elect the RP.

  • Static RP on the switch is active as long as the switch uses a unicast route to the network for the static RP. If the switch loses this route, the static RP is invalidated, and the hash algorithm is invoked to remap all affected groups. If the switch regains this route, the static RP is validated and the hash algorithm is invoked to remap the affected groups.

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