Patent ID: 8885643

Claim:
A network component comprising: a memory coupled to a processor, wherein the memory comprises instructions when executed by the processor causes the network component to: select a first multicast routing mode from a plurality of multicast routing modes supported by a network comprising the network component; assign the first multicast routing mode to a first multicast flow; and advertise a first information frame to a plurality of first nodes within the network, wherein the first information frame provides an assignment of the first multicast routing mode to the first multicast flow, wherein the first multicast flow represents a flow of data packets that travels from a source node of the first plurality of nodes to a plurality of receiver nodes of the first plurality of nodes, wherein the first information frame comprises a tie-break field that indicates a tree path determined using the first multicast routing mode, wherein the tie-break field provides for a default tree, wherein the default tree indicates an Equal Cost Tree (ECT)-Algorithm is used to create the tree path, and wherein the multicast routing modes represent different types of routing modes used to determine one or more multicast forwarding routes for at least the first multicast flow within the network.