How to multicast using gen_udp in Erlang?

Multicast sending has been answered, receipt requires subscription to the multicast group.

It (still) seems undocumented, but has been covered on the erlang-questions mailing list before. http://www.erlang.org/pipermail/erlang-questions/2003-March/008071.html

    {ok, Socket} = gen_udp:open(Port, [binary, {active, false},
                                       {reuseaddr, true},{ip, Addr}, 
                                       {add_membership, {Addr, LAddr}}]).

where the Addr is the multicast group, and LAddr is a local interface. (code courtesy of mog)

The same options used above can be passed to inet:setopts including {drop_membership, {Addr, LAddr}} to stop listening to the group.

I try to get this example running on my PC. What could happen, if I get always the message {error,eaddrnotavail} by opening the receive socket?

Example 1: This works:

{ok, Socket} = gen_udp:open(?PORT, [{reuseaddr,true}, {ip,?SERVER_IP},
               {multicast_ttl,4}, {multicast_loop,false}, binary]),

Example 2: Getting an runtime Error:

{ok, Socket} = gen_udp:open(?PORT, [{reuseaddr,true}, {ip,?MULTICAST_IP},
               {multicast_ttl,4}, {multicast_loop,false}, binary]),

% --> {error,eaddrnotavail}

-define(SERVER_IP, {10,31,123,123}). % The IP of the current computer
-define(PORT, 5353).
-define(MULTICAST_IP, {224,0,0,251}). 

Here is example code on how to listen in on Bonjour / Zeroconf traffic.

-module(zcclient).

-export([open/2,start/0]).
-export([stop/1,receiver/0]).

open(Addr,Port) ->
   {ok,S} = gen_udp:open(Port,[{reuseaddr,true}, {ip,Addr}, {multicast_ttl,4}, {multicast_loop,false}, binary]),
   inet:setopts(S,[{add_membership,{Addr,{0,0,0,0}}}]),
   S.

close(S) -> gen_udp:close(S).

start() ->
   S=open({224,0,0,251},5353),
   Pid=spawn(?MODULE,receiver,[]),
   gen_udp:controlling_process(S,Pid),
   {S,Pid}.

stop({S,Pid}) ->
   close(S),
   Pid ! stop.

receiver() ->
   receive
       {udp, _Socket, IP, InPortNo, Packet} ->
           io:format("~n~nFrom: ~p~nPort: ~p~nData: ~p~n",[IP,InPortNo,inet_dns:decode(Packet)]),
           receiver();
       stop -> true;
       AnythingElse -> io:format("RECEIVED: ~p~n",[AnythingElse]),
           receiver()
   end.