Constraining flooding of multicast traffic in Layer2 networks

A network apparatus comprising:

• a first port configured to receive a multicast frame comprising a multicast group destination address, wherein
• the multicast frame is associated with a broadcast domain;
• a first processor configured to
• compare the multicast group destination address with one or more table entries in an address table,
• determine a network protocol type of the multicast frame, and
• compare the network protocol type of the multicast frame with the one or more table entries in the address table to identify a multicast flood domain associated with the network protocol type of the multicast frame;
• and
• a first set of ports, wherein
• the first set of ports is configured to transmit the multicast frame or a replication thereof via the multicast flood domain if there is no entry in the address table corresponding to the multicast group destination address, wherein
• the address table comprises an entry for the multicast flood domain that identifies the first set of ports which is less than all ports associated with the broadcast domain on the network device, and
• the address table comprises a plurality of entries each corresponding to a multicast flood domain and having an association with a network protocol type of a plurality of network protocol types.

A network apparatus comprising:

• a first port configured to receive a multicast frame comprising a multicast group destination address, wherein
• the multicast frame is associated with a broadcast domain;
• means for comparing the multicast group destination address with one or more table entries in an address table;
• and
• means for determining a network protocol type of the multicast frame;
• secondary means for comparing the network protocol type of the multicast frame with the one or more table entries in the address table to identify a multicast flood domain associated with the network protocol type of the multicast frame;
• means for transmitting the multicast frame or a replication thereof via the multicast flood domain, if there is no corresponding table entry in the address table to the multicast group destination address, wherein
• the address table comprises an entry for the multicast flood domain that identifies a first set of ports which is less than all ports associated with the broadcast domain on the network device, and
• the address table comprises a plurality of entries each corresponding to a multicast flood domain and having an association with a network protocol type of a plurality of network protocol types.