EIGRP Design Features

EIGRP design features   

Now it’s the time discuss the some of it’s  design features. EIGRP operates quite differently from IGRP, because it is an advanced distance vector routing PROTOCOLS that acts as a link-state PROTOCOLS during updating neighbours and maintaining routing information. There are certain advantages of EIGRP over simple distance vector PROTOCOLS, which we will discuss one by one. Followings are the advantages:

• Rapid convergence
• Efficient use of bandwidth
• VLSM support and CIDR. It offers full support for classless IP by exchanging subnet masks in routing updates. Whereas this feature is not present in IGRP.
• Support  for Multiple network-layer
• It’s Independence from routed PROTOCOLS.

PROTOCOL-dependent modules (PDMs): which help protecting EIGRP from lengthy revision. Evolving routed PROTOCOLS, such as IP, may require a new PROTOCOLS module but not necessarily a reworking of EIGRP itself.

You must Know that EIGRP routers converge quickly because they rely on DUAL. Which offers guarantees loop-free operation at every instant throughout a route computation allowing all routers involved in a topology change to synchronize at the same time.

More Over EIGRP send partial, bounded updates which make use of bandwidth efficiently and if network is stable it consume minimal bandwidth. Instead of Sending complete table, EIGRP routers make partial, incremental updates. This feature is similar to OSPF operation, but EIGRP send these partial updates only to the routers in need of these information, whereas IGRP send it to all in the Area. This is the reason they are called bounded updates. EIGRP doesn’t make use of timed routing updates, instide routers keep in touch with each other using small hello packets. Though exchanged regularly, hello packets do not use up a significant amount of bandwidth.

EIGRP supports various modules such as IP, IPX, and AppleTalk through PROTOCOL-dependent modules (PDMs). EIGRP can improve the performance by redistributing  IPX RIP and SAP information. In effect, EIGRP can take over for these two PROTOCOLS. An EIGRP router will receive routing and service updates, updating other routers only when changes in the SAP or routing tables occur. Routing updates occur using partial updates as they would in any EIGRP network.

EIGRP can also take over for the AppleTalk Routing Table Maintenance PROTOCOLS (RTMP). RTMP as a distance vector routing PROTOCOLS, relies on periodic and complete exchanges of information related to routing . EIGRP redistributes AppleTalk routing information using event-driven updates in order to reduce overhead. To determine the best route to an AppleTalk network, EIGRP also uses a configurable composite metric RTMP uses hop count, which can result in sub-optimal routing. The reason behind why EIGRP for AppleTalk should be run only on a clientless network, such as a wide-area network (WAN) link is AppleTalk clients expect RTMP information from local routers.

That's it about EIGRP design features,Thanks Everyone for the attention. We are Done with this tutorial. Stay tuned for more. Have a nice time, Good bye, Take care.