Networking Essentials medium
How does Multicast differ from Broadcast?
- A Broadcast transmits data to every single active device on the local subnet; Multicast transmits data only to a specific 'Interest Group' that has proactively joined the stream.
- B Broadcast is mathematically optimized for high-speed fiber-optic data transfer, while Multicast is limited to older copper-based Ethernet and wireless networking technologies.
- C Multicast is a specialized protocol designed strictly for residential 41-bit video streaming, while Broadcast is used for sending human-readable text-based logs across a data center.
- D Multicast is capable of routing data across the global public internet, while Broadcast is strictly confined to the local area network (LAN) and cannot cross a standard router boundary.
Answer: A. Broadcast transmits data to every single active device on the local subnet; Multicast transmits data only to a specific 'Interest Group' that has proactively joined the stream.
Broadcast (address `255.255.255.255`) is a 'one-to-all' communication. It forces every network interface card (NIC) on the segment to wake up and process the packet, which can be very wasteful. Multicast is 'one-to-many'. Using specialized Class D IP addresses and the IGMP protocol, it allows a single stream (like a live video feed) to be sent once. Network switches then 'copy' that stream only to the specific ports that have requested it. This is much more efficient for large-scale live streaming or service discovery, as it prevents the entire network from being flooded with traffic that only a few devices care about.
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