PIM sparse mode (PIM-SM) is a multicast routing protocol that uses a pull model to deliver multicast traffic. In PIM-SM, routers with receivers send join messages to their upstream neighbors toward a rendezvous point (RP) or a source-specific tree (SPT). The RP or SPT acts as the root of a shared distribution tree for a multicast group. Traffic is only forwarded to routers that request to join the distribution tree by sending join messages. PIM-SM does not flood traffic to all routers or prune routers without receivers, as PIM dense mode does.