First Hop Redundancy Protocols (FHRP) - Overview

Protocol
HSRP CISCO-PROPRIETARY VRRP Multi-Vendor GLBP CISCO-PROPRIETARY
Hot Standby Router protocol Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol Gateway Load Balancing Protocol
One Active Router, one Standby Router, other One Master, one or more Backup Virtual Active Virtual Gateway (AVG), Standby Virtual GW (SVG),
Terminology
Routers in Standby group (able to assume roles) Routers Active Virtual Forwarders (AVFs)
GW IP, bound to the group-specific HSRP MAC GW IP, bound to the group-specific VRRP- GW IP bound to an AVG-managed set of virtual MAC
address: managed MAC address: addresses, one for each of the physical routers in the
Virtual object 0000.0C07.ACXX (v1, XX is Group ID) 0000.5E00.01XX (XX is VRID) group.
0000.0C9F.FXXX (v2, XXX is Group ID)
0005.73A0.0000 - 0005.73A0.0FFF
(IPv6)
Communication IP Multicast IP Multicast IP Multicast
Method and 224.0.0.2 (v1) 224.0.0.18 (IPv4) 224.0.0.102
Destination 224.0.0.102 (v2) FF02:0:0:0:0:0:0:12 (IPv6)

Communication IPv4, UDP port 1985 IPv4 and IPV6, protocol 112 (IANA) IPv4, UDP port 3222
Protocol IPv6, UDP port 2029
Default: No authentication Default: No authentication Default: No authentication
Authentication Plain text authentication Plain text authentication Plain text authentication
MD5 authentication (newly added) MD5 authentication
Priority – Hard-coded. One router is elected as Priority – Highest value wins. Priority - One gateway is elected as AVG; another is
Active, another as Standby router. The remaining elected as standby virtual GW (SVG). The remaining
Active Selector
routers are in a listen state. Highest value wins. routers are in a listen state. Highest value wins.
Default: 100 Default: 100 Backup, 254 Active Default: 100
HELLO - Interval between successive HSRP Hello Unlike HSRP and GLBP, VRRP does not learn HELLO - Interval between successive GLBP Hello
Hello and Hold
messages from a given router. Default: 3 sec timers from the master router. VRRP requires messages from a given router. Default: 3 sec
Timer
HOLD - Interval between the receipt of a Hello, that the hello timer of all routers in the group HOLD - Interval between the receipt of a Hello, and the
and the presumption that the sending router match. presumption that the sending router failed.
failed. Default: 10 sec HELLO – Default: 1 sec, HOLD - Default: 3 sec Default: 10 sec
Active Timer 10 sec

Standby Timer 10 sec

Use of preemption allows a HSRP device whose With preemption enabled, VRRP switches to a AVG Preemption allows a backup virtual gateway to
priority has become higher to take over the role backup if that backup comes online with a become AVG, if it has a higher priority than the current
as the active router in HSRP. priority higher than the new master. Default: AVG. Default: preempt off
Preemption Default: preempt off preempt on. AVF (Forwarder) Preemption is similar, except that the
Exception: The router that owns the IP forwarder preemption uses weighting instead of priority,
address(es) associated with the virtual router and it is enabled by default.
always preempts.

First Hop Redundancy Protocols (FHRP) Overview v1.0 @2014 fm4dd.com

 First Hop Redundancy Protocols (FHRP) - Overview
Protocol
HSRP CISCO-PROPRIETARY VRRP Multi-Vendor GLBP CISCO-PROPRIETARY
Hot Standby Router protocol Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol Gateway Load Balancing Protocol

HSRP 6 Roles: VRRP 3 Roles: AVG 6 Roles:

Start state, HSRP does not run. This Initialize Wait for a Startup event. Disabled No Virtual IP address configured.
state is entered through a configuration
Initial Monitors the state of the Master The virtual IP address configured, but virtual
change or when an interface first Backup Initial
router gateway configuration is incomplete.
becomes available.
Forward packets for its virtual The Virtual GW receives hello messages and
The router has not determined the router MAC address. Respond to Listen is ready to enter "speak" state if AVG
virtual IP address and has not yet seen Master
ARP requests for its virtual router IP unavailable.
Learn an authenticated hello message from
addresses.
the active router. The router still waits The Virtual GW is attempting to become the
Speak
to hear from the active router. Active Virtual Gateway (AVG).
The router knows the virtual IP address, The Virtual GW is ready to become the next
Standby
but the router is neither the active AVG.
Listen
router nor the standby router. It listens The Virtual GW is AVG, responding to client
for ‘hello’ messages from those routers. ARP requests for the virtual IP address,
Active
Role The router sends periodic hello providing one of the AVF MACs based on its
States messages and actively participates in load balancing scheme.
the election of the active and/or AVF 4 Roles:
Speak
standby router. A router cannot enter
speak state unless the router has the Disabled No Virtual MAC address assigned.
virtual IP address. The virtual MAC address is set, but the
The router is candidate to become the Initial virtual forwarder (AVF) configuration is
next active router and sends periodic incomplete.
Stand
hello messages. Excluding transient Virtual forwarder listens for ‘hello’ messages
by
conditions, there is, at most, one router Listen and is ready to go into “active” state, if
in the group in standby state. another AVF is unavailable.
The router currently forwards packets Be an AVF, and responsible for forwarding
that are sent to the group virtual MAC Active packets sent to its virtual forwarder MAC
address. The router sends periodic hello address.
Active
messages. Excluding transient
conditions, there must be, at most, one
router in active state in the group.

First Hop Redundancy Protocols (FHRP) Overview v1.0 @2014 fm4dd.com