The PIM Dense Mode State Refresh feature is an extension of the PIM Version 2 multicast routing architecture.

PIM dense mode builds source-based multicast distribution trees that operate on a flood and prune principle. Multicast packets from a source are flooded to all areas of a PIM dense mode network. PIM routers that receive multicast packets and have no directly connected multicast group members or PIM neighbors send a prune message back up the source-based distribution tree toward the source of the packets. As a result, subsequent multicast packets are not flooded to pruned branches of the distribution tree. However, the pruned state in PIM dense mode times out approximately every 3 minutes and the entire PIM dense mode network is reflooded with multicast packets and prune messages. This reflooding of unwanted traffic throughout the PIM dense mode network consumes network bandwidth.

The PIM Dense Mode State Refresh feature keeps the pruned state in PIM dense mode from timing out by periodically forwarding a control message down the source-based distribution tree. The control message refreshes the prune state on the outgoing interfaces of each router in the distribution tree.

The PIM Dense Mode State Refresh feature keeps the pruned state in PIM dense mode from timing out, which saves network bandwidth by greatly reducing the reflooding of unwanted multicast traffic to pruned branches of the PIM dense mode network. This feature also enables PIM devices in a PIM dense mode multicast network to recognize topology changes (sources joining or leaving a multicast group) before the default 3-minute state refresh timeout period.

There are no configuration tasks for enabling the PIM Dense Mode State Refresh feature. By default, all PIM devices that are running a Cisco software release that supports the PIM Dense Mode State Refresh feature automatically process and forward state refresh control messages.

To disable the processing and forwarding of state refresh control messages on a PIM device, use the ip pim state-refresh disable global configuration command. To enable state refresh again if it has been disabled, use the no ip pim state-refresh disable global configuration command.

The origination of state refresh control messages is disabled by default. In PIM dense mode, enable the control message origination on the interface of the first-hop device to trigger a state-refresh. This will help prune the multicast table with accurate state entries for all devices that are running in PIM dense mode. To configure the origination of the control messages on a device running PIM, use the following commands beginning in global configuration mode:

Device(config)# interface  type number 

Device(config-if)# ip pim state-refresh origination-interval  [interval ]

Use the show ip pim interface [type number ] detail and the show ip pim neighbor [interface ] commands to verify that the PIM Dense Mode State Refresh feature is configured correctly. The following ample output indicates that processing, forwarding, and origination of state refresh control messages is enabled.

Device# show ip pim interface fastethernet 0/1/0 detail
FastEthernet0/1/0 is up, line protocol is up
  Internet address is 172.16.8.1/24
  Multicast switching:process
  Multicast packets in/out:0/0
  Multicast boundary:not set
  Multicast TTL threshold:0
  PIM:enabled
    PIM version:2, mode:dense
    PIM DR:172.16.8.1 (this system)
    PIM neighbor count:0
    PIM Hello/Query interval:30 seconds
	PIM State-Refresh processing:enabled
	PIM State-Refresh origination:enabled, interval:60 seconds
    PIM NBMA mode:disabled
    PIM ATM multipoint signalling:disabled
    PIM domain border:disabled
  Multicast Tagswitching:disabled

The S in the Mode field of the following show ip pim neighbor [interface ] command output indicates that the neighbor has the PIM Dense Mode State Refresh feature configured.

Device# show ip pim neighbor
PIM Neighbor Table
Neighbor          Interface          Uptime/Expires    Ver   DR
Address                                                      Priority/Mode
172.16.5.1        Ethernet1/1        00:09:03/00:01:41 v2    1 / B S

Following are the PIM Dense Mode State Refresh control messages that are sent and received by a PIM router after the debug ip pim privileged EXEC command is configured for multicast group 239.0.0.1:

Router# debug ip pim 239.0.0.1
*Mar  1 00:25:10.416:PIM:Originating refresh message for
(172.16.8.3,239.0.0.1)
*Mar  1 00:25:10.416:PIM:Send SR on GigabitEthernet1/1/0 for (172.16.8.3,239.0.0.1)
TTL=9

The following output from the show ip mroute command displays are the resulting prune timer changes for GigabitEthernet interface1/0/0 and multicast group 239.0.0.1. (The following output assumes that the debug ip pim privileged EXEC command has already been configured on the router.) In the first output from the show ip mroute command, the prune timer reads 00:02:06. The debug messages indicate that a PIM Dense Mode State Refresh control message is received and sent on Ethernet interface 1/0, and that other PIM Dense Mode State Refresh routers were discovered. In the second output from the show ip mroute command, the prune timer has been reset to 00:02:55.

Router# show ip mroute 239.0.0.1
(172.16.8.3, 239.0.0.1), 00:09:50/00:02:06, flags:PT
  Incoming interface:GigabitEthernet1/1/0, RPF nbr 172.16.5.2
  Outgoing interface list:
	GigabitEthernet1/0/0, Prune/Dense, 00:09:43/00:02:06
Router#
*Mar  1 00:32:06.657:PIM:SR on iif from 172.16.5.2 orig 172.16.8.1 for
(172.16.8.3,239.0.0.1)
*Mar  1 00:32:06.661:     flags:prune-indicator 
*Mar  1 00:32:06.661:PIM:Cached metric is [0/0]
*Mar  1 00:32:06.661:PIM:Keep RPF nbr 172.16.5.2
*Mar  1 00:32:06.661:PIM:Send SR on Ethernet1/0 for (172.16.8.3,239.0.0.1)
TTL=8
*Mar  1 00:32:06.661:     flags:prune-indicator 
Router# show ip mroute 239.0.0.1
(172.16.8.3, 239.0.0.1), 00:10:01/00:02:55, flags:PT
  Incoming interface:GigabitEthernet1/1/0, RPF nbr 172.16.5.2
  Outgoing interface list:
	GigabitEthernet1/0/0, Prune/Dense, 00:09:55/00:02:55