Abstract: This application provides a multicast data packet processing method and a forwarding device. The method includes: establishing, by a first forwarding device, a segment routing header SRH-based tunnel with a third forwarding device, where the SRH-based tunnel passes through a second forwarding device that does not support bit index explicit replication BIER; generating, by the first forwarding device, a first multicast data packet based on a multicast data packet from a multicast source and the SRH-based tunnel, where the first multicast data packet includes a first packet header, a second packet header, and the multicast data packet from the multicast source, the first packet header includes an SRH header, and a destination address included in the second packet header is an address of the second forwarding device; and sending, by the first forwarding device, the first multicast data packet to the second forwarding device through the SRH-based tunnel.

Abstract: A multicast data packet processing method in a point-to-multipoint (P2MP)-based bit index explicit replication (BIER) multicast tree, which includes an intermediate node configured to use P2MP to forward a BIER packet, includes receiving a first multicast data packet with a BIER header having a first label. The method further includes obtaining a first forwarding entry based on the first label. The first forwarding entry includes the first label, a first identifier identifying the multicast tree, and a second identifier instructing to perform P2MP forwarding. The method further includes obtaining, based on the first identifier, a second forwarding entry including the first identifier and a second label. The method further includes obtaining a second multicast data packet based on the second identifier, the second forwarding entry, and the first multicast data packet, and sending the second multicast data packet. The second multicast data packet includes the second label.

Abstract: A multicast forwarding method applied to a BIER multicast network includes establishing, by a head node device, a first tunnel; generating a first entry; obtaining bit string information of a first multicast stream, where the bit string information includes an identifier of a tail node device that the first multicast stream is expected to reach; determining whether first bit string map information includes the identifier, in the bit string information, of the tail node device that the first multicast stream is expected to reach; and forwarding, by the head node device, the first multicast stream to a first intermediate node device through the first tunnel when the head node device determines that the first bit string map information includes the identifier in the bit string information, of the tail node device that the first multicast stream is expected to reach.