Multicast Outgoing Interface (OIF) list optimization

Each multicast route entry maintains a list of outgoing interfaces (OIF List) to which an incoming multicast data packet matching the route is replicated. In hardware-forwarded route entries, these OIF lists are stored inside the hardware in replication tables which are limited in size. In many deployment scenarios, more than one multicast route can have identical OIF lists and can optimize usage of the replication table entries by sharing them across multiple multicast routes.

Multicast OIF list optimization keeps track of all the OIF lists in the system. It manages the hardware replication resources optimally, in real time, by dynamically assigning or re-assigning resources to multicast route entries to suit their current OIF list requirements, while maximizing resource sharing.