Routing protocols inform your routers tips on how to discuss to 1 one other after which govern how every of them ought to distribute data. Briefly, it helps routers plan their routes and do their jobs properly.
Companies want to decide on the proper routing protocols for his or her community. These protocols can decide whether or not they’re in a position to stream content material or host a dependable teleconference. The efficiency and velocity allow customers to work quick, getting the information they should and from totally different locations within the community or on-line.
It’s additionally essential for a enterprise community to stay accessible as a result of routing protocols are in a position to alter to the altering situations inside the community, together with the power to detect which connections are offline and what obstructions exist.
A number of routing protocols can be found immediately, however two of probably the most usually in contrast are Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) and Enhanced Inside Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP). Each are thought-about inside gateway protocols and work inside a single routing area.
What’s EIGRP (Enhanced Inside Gateway Routing Protocol)?
Designed by Cisco Programs, Enhanced Inside Gateway Routing Protocol is a community protocol that enables your routers to commerce data extra effectively than related protocols that got here earlier than it.
EIGRP is absolutely interoperable with routers utilizing the Inside Gateway Routing Protocol, on which it was primarily based. It’s additionally used for Novell NetWare and AppleTalk networks.
EIGRP routers make a copy of the routing tables of their neighboring routers. When one router must discover a route, it scans these tables to discover a appropriate one. If it fails to discover a route, the neighboring router will do it for them, and so forth till a route is established.
EIGRP determines probably the most environment friendly route utilizing a diffusing replace algorithm, which is hosted on a finite state machine that can in the end resolve which is the least expensive or best route from the origin to the vacation spot.
What’s OSPF (Open Shortest Path First)?
Open Shortest Path First, generally utilized in enterprise networks, makes use of shortest path first (SPF) know-how to seek out and effectively distribute routing data between routers on a neighborhood space community (LAN).
Designed particularly for TCP/IP environments, OSPF routers are situated inside the similar community and find out about all of the routers in that space. These belonging to the identical space will have the ability to cross alongside the knowledge they’ve discovered to adjoining routers, that are referred to as neighbors.
An OSPF system can calculate the shortest path to a distant vacation spot or router by utilizing Dijkstra’s algorithm. This algorithm is used to seek out the shortest method between the supply node to the vacation spot node.
Evaluating EIGRP vs. OSPF
| EIGRP | OSPF | |
|---|---|---|
| Stands for | Enhanced Inside Gateway Protocol | Open Shortest Path First |
| Commonplace | Cisco proprietary | IETF open customary |
| CPU useful resource utilization | Low CPU and reminiscence wants | CPU and reminiscence useful resource intensive |
| Implementation | Simple | Advanced |
| Protocol sort | Hybrid | Hyperlink state |
| Community topology | Flat design | Hierarchical design |
| Administrative distance | 90 (Inside)170 (Exterior) | 110 |
| Algorithm | DUAL (Diffusing Replace Algorithm) distance vector | Dijkstra hyperlink state |
| Utilized by | Mid-sized to massive networks | Mid-sized to massive networks |
| Convergence velocity | Very quick | Quick |
| Routing metrics | Combines reliability, load, bandwidth, and delay | Bandwidth/value |
| Load balancing | Unequal route metrics | Equal metrics |
5 key variations between EIGRP and OSPF
Whereas EIGRP and OSPF exhibit some similarities in precept, their precise execution could be very totally different. These variations begin on the stage of the protocol sort, and lengthen to their convergence time, metric, administrative distance, and cargo balancing.
Protocol sort
EIGRP networks have routers that use each distance vector algorithm and hyperlink state. Distance vector algorithms dictate {that a} router ought to inform different routers of modifications in its topology. Every router may also have a desk that lists the space between vacation spot nodes and the router itself.
This protocol additionally requires the router to replace itself when there are modifications within the distance data of different routers or if a hyperlink to a different router is gone. So with a diffusing replace algorithm doing the computation to seek out the shortest path, EIGRP networks have each the perfect and alternate paths obtainable.
Hyperlink-state routing, alternatively, doesn’t discuss to all of the routers within the space like a distance vector router does. As a substitute, these routers trade messages with one different router at a time to be taught in regards to the community’s topology.
OSPF networks, that are predominantly primarily based on link-state protocol, use the Dijkstra algorithm to seek out the shortest path.
Convergence time
EIGRP has a quicker convergence time than OSPF—which means it may possibly shortly recalculate routes if a hyperlink or router fails—as a result of it makes use of a Diffusing Replace Algorithm (DUAL) to calculate the shortest path to a vacation spot, avoiding community loops. OSPF makes use of the Shortest Path First (SPF) algorithm, which takes longer to converge.
Metric
EIGRP makes use of a composite metric that features bandwidth, delay, reliability, load, and most transmission unit (MTU). The metric is calculated by taking the minimal worth for every parameter. This enables for fast route calculations and ensures the perfect path is at all times taken.
OSPF makes use of a single metric, value, primarily based on the hyperlink’s bandwidth. This metric is calculated by taking the inverse of the hyperlink’s bandwidth and is used to find out the price of the trail from one node to a different. The trail’s value is then added as much as decide the shortest path to a vacation spot.
Administrative distance
Administrative distance is a measure of the reliability of a routing protocol. It’s a worth that routers use to pick the perfect path when there are a number of routes to the identical vacation spot. The decrease the executive distance worth, the extra dependable the protocol is taken into account.
In EIGRP, administrative distance is configurable, with a default worth of 90 for inside routes and 170 for exterior routes. Which means that EIGRP will want routes which are discovered internally over these which are discovered externally. If a number of routes have the identical administrative distance, EIGRP will use different metrics, similar to bandwidth and delay, to find out the perfect path.
Alternatively, in OSPF, administrative distance is fastened and can’t be modified. The executive distance worth for OSPF is 110 for all routes. Which means that OSPF routes are thought-about much less dependable than EIGRP routes by default. Nevertheless, OSPF makes use of different metrics, similar to path value, to find out the perfect path if there are a number of routes with the identical administrative distance.
Load balancing
The method of distributing community visitors throughout a number of paths to optimize useful resource utilization, reduce latency, and enhance community efficiency is named load balancing. Each EIGRP and OSPF help load balancing, however there are some variations in how they obtain it:
EIGRP
- EIGRP helps unequal-cost load balancing by default, which permits it to distribute visitors throughout paths with totally different metrics.
- EIGRP calculates the metric primarily based on a mixture of bandwidth, delay, reliability, load, and MTU of the trail.
- EIGRP makes use of a variance command to configure the extent of load balancing allowed. The variance command units a multiplier for the minimal metric of the paths which are included within the load balancing course of.
OSPF
- Helps equal-cost load balancing by default, which permits it to distribute visitors throughout a number of paths with the identical metric.
- OSPF calculates the metric primarily based on the bandwidth of the trail.
- OSPF makes use of a value command to configure the metric of the trail.
Configuration variations
We analyzed EIGRP and OSPF configuration variations with pattern codes. Listed below are the essential steps to configure every protocol.
EIGRP configuration
Comply with these steps to configure EIGRP on a Cisco router:
1. Enter world configuration mode
Router> allow
Router# configure terminal2. Allow EIGRP on the router utilizing the router EIGRP command and specify an Autonomous System (AS) quantity:
Router(config)# router eigrp <AS_number>3. Configure the router interfaces that can take part in EIGRP by utilizing the community command adopted by the IP tackle and wildcard masks of the community:
Router(config-router)# community <network_address> <wildcard_mask>OSPF configuration
Listed below are the essential steps to configure OSPF:
1. Enter the worldwide configuration mode and difficulty the “router ospf” command adopted by a course of ID quantity. For instance:
Router(config)# router ospf 1This will allow OSPF and create a brand new course of with an ID of 1.
2. Then assign an OSPF router ID.
Every router within the OSPF community should have a novel ID to determine it. You’ll be able to assign a router ID manually or have OSPF select one routinely. To manually assign a router ID, enter the next command in world configuration mode:
Router(config-router)# router-id <router-id>Change “router-id” with the IP tackle you wish to use because the router ID.
3. Then outline the realm ID for the OSPF interface:
Router(config-router)# community <network-address> <wildcard-mask> space <area-id>When to decide on EIGRP or OSPF
Most often, OSPF is way easier to implement as a result of it solely considers the least value. It’s particularly efficient for small networks. Nevertheless, it could get sophisticated when the community will get bigger. If in case you have an even bigger web site, you’ll wish to just be sure you have the IT expertise to maintain issues in line.
It additionally works excellently for quite a lot of LAN and WAN environments, or if you happen to’re utilizing gadgets and routers from totally different distributors. OSPF is open sourced and it’s simpler to configure a broad number of routers utilizing this protocol.
Cisco claims that EIGRP can be an open customary, however they don’t publish numerous the core protocols within the RFC 7868 doc that they ready. Leaving out these particulars makes it tough so that you can use one other producer’s router in an EIGRP community.
That stated, EIGRP is great for companies that use Cisco routers. It’s natively built-in, making it a lot simpler to configure, and supplies quick convergence.
Backside line: EIGRP vs. OSPF
Each EIGRP and OSPF are extensively used routing protocols in immediately’s community infrastructure. The selection between these protocols in the end is determined by the precise wants and necessities of the community in query, together with elements similar to community dimension, complexity, and {hardware} compatibility.
By understanding the important thing variations between EIGRP and OSPF, community directors could make knowledgeable choices when choosing the suitable routing protocol for his or her community infrastructure.
You will get a superb visualization of your community with a community mapping instrument. And hold your community safety with these eight tricks to conduct a community safety audit.
