EIGRP in a Nutshell

OnLine Presentation

CIS 185 Advanced Routing (CCNP 1)

Spring 2007
Rick Graziani
EIGRP

• EIGRP is an advanced distance-vector routing protocol

that relies on features commonly associated with link-state
protocols.
• Administrative Distance
– Internal: 90
– Summary: 5
– External: 170

Rick Graziani graziani@cabrillo.edu 2

Metrics

• Metrics:
– Bandwidth
– Delay
– Reliability
– Load

• Default Metric
– bandwidth = (10,000,000/bandwidth kbps) * 256
– delay = (delay/10) * 256

• Routing Table Metric: Slowest of bandwidth plus the sum

of the delays of all outgoing interfaces from “this router” to
the destination network.

Rick Graziani graziani@cabrillo.edu 3

EIGRP Operation

• Automatic redistribution between IGRP and EIGRP as long

as “AS” numbers are the same.

• Operation of EIGRP
– RTP
– PDM
– DUAL

• RTP
– Reliable RTP is used for EIGRP queries, updates and
replies (224.0.0.10)
– Unreliable RTP is used for EIGRP Hello’s and Ack’s

Rick Graziani graziani@cabrillo.edu 4

Features of EIGRP

• Features of EIGRP
– Classless Routing Protocol (VLSM, CIDR)
– Faster convergence times
– Multiprotocol support
– Rapid Convergence and Better handling of routing loops
– (DUAL)
– Efficient Use of Bandwidth
• Partial, bounded updates: Incremental updates only
to the routers that need them.
• Minimal bandwidth consumption: no more that 50%
of link’s bandwidth EIGRP packets.
– PDM (Protocol Dependent Module)
– Unequal-cost load balancing

Rick Graziani graziani@cabrillo.edu 5

Hello and Holdtime Intervals

• Hellos
– Used by the neighbor discovery and recovery process.
– Multicast
– Unreliable delivery (not acknowledged)
– T1 and faster : Hello interval 5 seconds, hold time 15
seconds
– Slower than T1: Hello interval 60 seconds, hold time
180 seconds
– If a neighbor is not heard from for the duration of the
hold time (three times hello interval), EIGRP considers
that neighbor down, and DUAL must step in to
reevaluate the routing table.
– EIGRP routers do not need to have the same hello
intervals and hold down intervals
Rick Graziani graziani@cabrillo.edu 6
DUAL (Discussed more in the lab presentation)

• Successor – Current Route

• Feasible Successor - A backup route
• Feasible distance (FD) is the minimum distance (metric) along a path
to a destination network.
• Reported distance (RD) is the distance (metric) towards a destination
as advertised by an upstream neighbor. Reported distance is the
distance reported in the queries, the replies and the updates.
• A neighbor meets the feasible condition (FC) if the reported distance
by the neighbor is less than to the current feasible distance (FD) of this
router. "If a neighbors metric is less than mine, then I know the
neighbor doesn't have a loop going through me."
• A feasible successor is a neighbor whose reported distance (RD) is
less than or equal to the current feasible distance (FD). Feasible
successor is one who meets the feasible condition (FC).

Rick Graziani graziani@cabrillo.edu 7

Topology Table

• Topology Table
– A passive route is one that is stable and available for
use.
– An active route is a route in the process of being
recomputed by DUAL.

Rick Graziani graziani@cabrillo.edu 8

For More Information

• For more information consult my complete PowerPoint

presentation on EIGRP.

Rick Graziani graziani@cabrillo.edu 9

 EIGRP in a Nutshell
OnLine Presentation

CIS 185 Advanced Routing (CCNP 1)

Spring 2007
Rick Graziani