Programming static multicast routes inload-balanced networks

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions to:

• receive, at a network device in a network, a static multicast route associated with a multicast group and a source of the multicast group, the network device comprising a plurality of ingress interfaces, each corresponding to a path via which the network device is reachable from the source, and the static multicast route comprising an indicator indicating that the network device is to dynamically select an ingress interface for the static multicast route;
• determine respective weights allocated to the plurality of ingress interfaces;
• based on a determination that the weights are equal, select, from the plurality of ingress interfaces, a reverse-path forwarding (RPF) interface associated with the source as the ingress interface for the static multicast route from the plurality of ingress interfaces based on their respective weights;
• based on a determination that the weights are unequal, select an interface with a lowest weight as the ingress interface of the static multicast route;
• and
• program the static multicast route in forwarding hardware of the network device with the selected ingress interface.

A computer system, comprising:

• one or more processing resources;
• forwarding hardware;
• and
• a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by the one or more processing resourced cause the computer system to:
• receive a static multicast route associated with a multicast group and a source of the multicast group, the computer system comprising a plurality of ingress interfaces, each corresponding to a path via which the computer system is reachable from the source, and the static multicast route comprising an indicator indicating that the network device is to dynamically select an ingress interface for the static multicast route;
• determine respective weights allocated to the plurality of ingress interfaces;
• based on a determination that the weights are equal, select, from the plurality of ingress interfaces, a reverse-path forwarding (RPF) interface associated with the source as the ingress interface for the static multicast route;
• based on a determination that the weights are unequal, select an interface with a lowest weight as the ingress interface of the static multicast route;
• and
• program the static multicast route in the forwarding hardware with the selected ingress interface.