Protocol independent multicast designated router redundancy

An apparatus comprising:

• a processor for generating a load balancing packet comprising one or more values used to select a group designated router from a list of candidate group designated routers for multicast traffic streams transmitted from a source to a receiver, selecting the apparatus as said group designated router for one or more of said multicast traffic streams based on load balancing packets received from said candidate group designated routers, and forwarding traffic for said one or more multicast traffic streams to the receiver, one of said candidate group designated routers comprising a designated router elected based on router priority and comprising a list of said candidate group designated routers;
• and
• memory for storing said one or more values used to select said group designated router;
• wherein the candidate group designated routers are last hop routers for transmitting said multicast traffic streams to a common link connected to the receiver, providing redundancy of the group designated routers, and applying policies via placement and routing of the rendezvous point;
• wherein at least two of said multicast traffic streams are redundant streams and a different group designated router is selected for each of said redundant streams;
• wherein, each of said multicast traffic streams associated with a multicast group, a rendezvous point, or the source and the multicast group to provide load balancing based on said rendezvous point or the source and the multicast group, the group designated router responsible for initiating tree building and forwarding said multicast traffic streams to the receiver;
• and
• wherein said one or more values comprise hashmasks, said hashmasks configured on routers that can potentially become said candidate group designated routers.

Logic encoded on one or more non-transitory computer readable media for execution and when executed operable to:

• transmit a load balancing packet from a router located in a communication path between a source and a receiver, the packet comprising one or more values used to select a group designated router from a list of candidate group designated routers for multicast traffic streams, one of said candidate group designated routers comprising a designated router elected based on router priority and comprising a list of said candidate group designated routers;
• select the router as said group designated router for one or more of said multicast traffic streams based on load balancing packets received from said candidate group designated routers and comprising rendezvous point, or source and group information, each of said multicast traffic streams associated with a multicast group, a rendezvous point, or the source and the multicast group to provide load balancing based on said rendezvous point or the source and the multicast group, the group designated router responsible for initiating tree building and forwarding said multicast traffic streams to the receiver;
• and
• forward traffic for said one or more multicast traffic streams to the receiver;
• wherein the candidate group designated routers are last hop routers for transmitting said multicast traffic streams to a common link connected to the receiver, providing redundancy of the group designated routers, and applying policies via a placement and routing of the rendezvous point;
• wherein at least two of said multicast traffic streams are redundant streams and a different group designated router is selected for each of said redundant streams;
• and
• wherein said one or more values comprise hashmasks, said hashmasks configured on routers that can potentially become said candidate group designated routers.