PIM Profile

A PIM (Protocol Independent Multicast) profile is used to define multicast routing parameters on network devices. The PIM profile specifies settings such as the PIM mode (Sparse, Dense, or Sparse-Dense), designated router priorities, and other multicast-related configurations. By applying a PIM profile to interfaces or routing instances, administrators can efficiently manage multicast traffic flow within their network.

You can configure the profile only for the Access Switch device function.

Creating a PIM Profile

To create a PIM profile, complete the following steps:

  1. In the HPE Aruba Networking Central landing page, click the configurationicon.
    The Profiles tab is displayed.

  2. In the left navigation menu, select one of the following options:

    • Library—This is the default selection. If you create profiles in the Library, then you must assign scope and device functions to the profiles. For more information, see Assigning Scope to a PIM Profile.

    • Global—If you create profiles at the Global level, then the profiles have Global scope assigned by default.

    • Site Collections—If you create profiles at the Site Collections level, then the profiles have site collection scope assigned by default.

    • Sites—If you create profiles at the Site level, then the profiles have site scope assigned by default.

    • Devices—If you create profiles at the Device level, then the profiles have device scope assigned by default.

    • Device Groups—If you create profiles at the Device Group level, then the profiles have device group scope assigned by default.

    Note:

    • To create profiles at the Global level, select the device type from the Device Function drop-down list before step 4.
    • To create profiles at the Site Collections, Sites, Devices, and Device Group level, complete the following steps before step 4:
      1. Select Site Collection, Site, Device, or Device Group in the left navigation menu.
      2. Select a Site Collection, Site, Device, or Device Group from the list view depending on the level where you are creating the profile.
      3. Select the device type from the Device Function drop-down list.

  3. On the Routing & Overlays card, click PIM.
    Alternatively, you can complete the following steps:

    1. On the Routing & Overlays card, click Manage.

    2. On the PIM card, click Manage.

    The PIM profile list view is displayed.

  4. Click Create Profile.
    The Create Profile side panel is displayed.

  5. Configure the following parameters:

    • Create as a local profile—Select this checkbox if you want to configure this profile as local.

      Note:

      The Create as a local profile checkbox is available at the Global, Site Collections, Sites, Devices, and Device Groups levels. It is not available at the Library level.

    • Name—Enter the name of the profile.

    • Description—Enter the description for the profile.

  6. To create a route, click + in the Routing table and configure the following parameters:

    • Enable PIM Router—Select this checkbox to enable the PIM router.

    • Address Family—Specify whether the configuration applies to IPv4 or IPv6 network protocols.

    • VRF—Select the VRF from the drop-down list.

    • Switch Parameters—Select this checkbox to configure the switch parameters.

  7. Under General Settings, configure the following parameters:

    • PIM-SSM—Select this checkbox to enable PIM Source‑Specific Multicast (SSM) on the router.

    • Active/Active—Select this checkbox to enable the PIM active‑active mechanism per VRF on VSX. PIM active‑active keeps the multicast forwarding state synchronized across both VSX peer devices.

    • BFD All Interfaces—Select this checkbox to enable BFD on all PIM interfaces.

  8. Expand the Advanced accordion to configure the following advanced parameters:

    • Register Message Limit—Specify the maximum number of register messages sent per second for each unique (S,G) entry. By default, no message limit is set. When a limit is configured, register message generation is restricted to the specified value.

    • Multicast route limit—Specify the maximum number of multicast route entries that can be programmed. When a limit is configured, multicast route entries created by IGMP or MLD membership reports, as well as those created by multicast streams, are restricted to the configured value.

    • Join Prune Interval—Specify the frequency at which the router sends periodic join or prune‑interval messages.

    • Sources per group—Specify the total number of sources allowed for a group on the router. By default, there is no limit on the number of sources for a group. When the number of sources for a group exceeds the configured limit, multicast traffic from additional sources is dropped.

    • Redistribute Static multicast routes—Select this checkbox to redistribute all static multicast routes configured on a VRF to the corresponding PIM router.

    • State Refresh—Specify the interval between successive state‑refresh messages originated by the routing switch. Only the routing switch directly connected to the multicast source initiates state‑refresh packets. All other PIM routers in the network simply propagate these state‑refresh packets. Default: 60 seconds.

    • Enable SPT Threshold—Select this checkbox to enable the router to switch multicast traffic flows to the shortest‑path tree. This field is enabled by default.

    • Anycast RP directly connected—Select this checkbox to enable support for an Anycast Rendezvous Point (RP) solution (for example, with MSDP) when the same multicast source is directly connected to two or more Anycast RP routers.

  9. To create a static RP address, click + in the Add Static RP address table and configure the following parameters:

    • Group Address/Prefix—Specify the multicast group address with the address mask.

    • RP Address—Specify the IP address of the static RP.

    • Override—Select the checkbox to give higher precedence to the static RP over the candidate RP.

  10. Under RP Selection, configure the following parameters:

    • Enable IPv4 RP Candidate—Select the checkbox to enable the RP candidate.

    • Source Interface—Select the interface to use as a source for the RP candidate router IP address and specify the interface details. The available options are Port, VLAN, LAG, and Sub Interface.

    • Multicast Group Prefix— Specify the multicast group address and the address mask and click the + icon.

    • Priority—Specify the priority value for the RP candidate. The candidate having the highest priority is elected. Zero (0) is the highest priority, and 255 is the lowest priority. Default: 192.

    • Hold Time—Specify the hold-time value in seconds to be sent in RP candidate advertisement messages. This controls the distribution of multicast groups among the C‑RPs in domains where multiple RPs have overlapping group coverage.

  11. Under BSR Selection, configure the following parameters:

    • Enable IPv4 Boot Strap Router—Select the checkbox to enable the Boot Strap Router (BSR).

    • Source Interface—Select the interface to use as a source for the Candidate-BSR router IP address and specify the interface details. The available options are Port, VLAN, LAG, and Sub Interface.

    • State Refresh—Specify the interval between successive state‑refresh messages originated by the routing switch.

    • BSM Interval—Specify the interval in seconds to send periodic RP-Set messages to all PIM-SM interfaces on a router that operates as the BSR in a domain.

    • Hash Mask Length—Specify the length (in bits) of the hash mask.

  12. Under Security, configure the following Apply Static RP Policy parameters:

    • Static RP Address—Specify the IP address of the static RP.

    • RP-Group Policy—Select the group policy from the drop-down list. This defines mapping rules between multicast groups and their respective Rendezvous Points (RPs), allowing specific multicast groups to be associated with designated RPs for optimized multicast routing.

    • Override—Select this checkbox to ensure that the static RP takes priority over candidate RPs when mapping multicast groups to Rendezvous Points.

  13. To apply the RP group policy to the router, click + in the Apply RP Group Policy table:

    • Group Address—Specify the multicast group IP address to which the RP policy applies.

    • PIM-SSM ACL—Select a policy from the drop-down list to enable the PIM router to filter PIM Join/Prune messages destined for a specific RP and specific groups.

  14. Configure the following additional parameters under Security:

    • Register Policy—Select the register policy from the drop-down list to control which PIM Register messages are accepted by the router.

    • SSM Range Policy—Select the access control list (ACL) from the drop-down list that defines the permitted source addresses for Source-Specific Multicast (SSM) groups..

  15. Click Create.

    The newly created profile is displayed in the PIM profile list.

  16. To edit a profile, complete the following steps:

    1. Click anywhere on the row of the profile in the list view.

      The Edit Profile view is displayed in the side panel.

    2. Edit the required parameters.

    3. Click Update.

  17. To delete a profile, hover on the profile name, and click the delete icon.

  18. To search for a profile, type the profile name in the search bar. The search bar displays dynamic results as soon as you start typing.

Assigning Scope to a PIM Profile

You must assign a scope and device function to a PIM profile created in the Library.

To assign scope to a profile, complete the following steps:

  1. In the HPE Aruba Networking Central landing page, click the configurationicon.
    The Profiles tab is displayed.

  2. Ensure that the default option Library is selected in the left navigation menu.

  3. On the Routing & Overlays card, click PIM.
    Alternatively, you can complete the following steps:

    1. On the Routing & Overlays card, click Manage.

    2. On the PIM card, click Manage.

    The PIM list view is displayed.

  4. Hover on the profile to which you want to assign a scope and click the ellipsis icon.

  5. Select Assign.

    The Assign Profile side panel is displayed.

  6. Select the device types from Device Function list.

  7. To add a scope, click the Add icon on the Scopes table.

  8. Select a scope from the following Scope Level options in the drop-down list:

    • Global—Selecting this option assigns the scope at the Global level.

    • Site Collections—Select the site collections from the Assign to Scope drop-down list.

    • Sites—Select the sites from the Assign to Scope drop-down list.

    • Devices—Select the devices from the Assign to Scope drop-down list.

    • Device Groups—Select the device groups from the Assign to Scope drop-down list.

  9. Click Add.

    The Scopes table displays the newly added scopes.

  10. Click Assign.

    The PIM list displays the device functions and number of scopes assigned to the profile.

  11. To unassign a scope from a profile, complete the following steps:

    1. Hover on the profile name and click the Ellipsis icon.

    2. Select Unassign.

    3. Select the required scope and click Unassign.

  12. To customize the PIM profile list, click the Customize Columns icon .