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| 6.4 |  | HSRP Configuration |
| 6.4.5 |  | HSRP hello timers |

An HSRP enabled router sends hello messages to indicate that the router is running and is capable of becoming either the active or standby router. The hello message contains the priority of the router, as well as a hellotime and holdtime value. The hellotime value indicates the interval between the hello messages that the router sends. The holdtime value contains the amount of time that the current hello message is considered valid. If an active router sends a hello message, then receiving routers consider that hello message to be valid for one holdtime. The holdtime value should be at least three times the value of the hellotime.

Both the hellotime and the holdtime parameters are configurable. To configure the time between hellos and the time before other group routers declare the active or standby router to be "down", enter the following command in interface configuration mode:

> Router(config-if)#standby group-number timers hellotime holdtime

- group-number – (Optional) Group number on the interface to which the timers apply. The default is zero.
- hellotime – Hello interval in seconds. This is an integer from 1 through 255. The default is three seconds.
- holdtime – Time before the active or standby router is declared to be down. This is an integer from 1 through 255. The default is ten seconds.

Figure sets the hellotime to five seconds and the holdtime to 15 seconds. To reinstate the default standby timer values, enter the no standby group timers command.