Overview
Many of the scalable design features explored in the first two modules, such as load balancing and route summarization, work very differently depending on the routing protocol used. Routing protocols are the rules that govern the exchange of routing information between routers. The open architecture and global popularity of TCP/IP has encouraged the development of more than a half-dozen prominent IP routing protocols. Each protocol has a unique combination of strengths and weaknesses. Because routing protocols are key to network performance, there must be a clear understanding of the following attributes of each protocol:
  • Convergence times
  • Overhead
  • Scalability features

This module explores various routing processes including default routing, floating static routes, convergence, and route calculation.