EIGRP PRESENTATION NOTES

HNE412 ENTERPRISE NETWORK DESIGN AND APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT

LEVEL 4.1

GROUP MEMBERS
STUDENT NAME SURNAME REGISTRATION NUMBER
TATENDA MUDZVOVERA R217221Z
GAINMORE CHINGOTO R198711Y
WESELY NHENDE R217218M
TAWANDA MOYO R2110115
WHAT IS EIGRP?
Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP) is a Cisco-proprietary, advanced distance-
vector routing protocol that uses hybrid mechanisms to deliver fast convergence, low overhead,
and scalable routing for enterprise networks.

KEY FEATURES
 Advanced Distance Protocol
It is Hybrid in nature that is it combines features of both distance-vector and link-state
principles. It retains the distance-vector behavior and uses neighbor based updates. It also
adds link-state features by giving triggered updates.
 Rapid Convergence
It uses DUAL algorithm to maintain backup routes (feasible successors) and immediately
switches to backup paths without recalculating the entire topology. This minimizes
downtime for critical services (e.g., e-learning portals, administrative systems) and its
ideal for large campuses where network stability is crucial.
 Bandwidth Efficiency
EIGRP sends partial updates only when topology changes occur (no periodic full
updates).It also uses Reliable Transport Protocol (RTP) to acknowledge packet delivery.
This Reduces unnecessary traffic on WAN links between campuses and also preserves
bandwidth for academic/research data transfers.
 VLSM & CIDR Support
It advertises subnet masks in routing updates and allows flexible IP addressing (e.g.,
different subnet sizes per department). Optimizes IP address space usage (critical for
large institutions).It simplifies sub netting for faculties/departments with varying host
requirements.
 LOAD BALANCING
Supports equal-cost (default) and unequal-cost (via variance command) load balancing
and distributes traffic across multiple paths based on metric. It maximizes utilization of
redundant links between buildings and also improves performance for bandwidth-
intensive tasks (e.g., video lectures, research data).

 CLASSLESS ROUTING
Advertises routes with subnet masks (unlike classful protocols like RIPv1) and Supports
discontinuous networks and super netting. Enables hierarchical addressing (e.g., 10.X.Y.Z
where X=faculty, Y=department).Simplifies route summarization at distribution layer
switches.

Basic Terminology Used in Designing EIGRP Routing

 Successor:
 The primary route to a destination that has the lowest metric. This route is used for
forwarding traffic to that destination.
 Feasible Successor:
A backup route to a destination that meets the feasibility condition. It is a route that has a
lower reported distance than the successor's feasible distance, allowing for quick failover
if the primary route fails.
 Reported Distance (RD):
The metric value reported by a neighboring router for a specific route. It represents the
cost of reaching a destination as perceived by that neighbor.
 Feasible Distance (FD):
The lowest calculated metric to reach a destination from the local router. It is the sum of
the reported distance from a neighbor and the cost to reach that neighbor.
 EIGRP Tables:
EIGRP maintains three main tables:

Neighbor Table: Contains information about directly connected EIGRP neighbors,

including their IP addresses and states.
Topology Table: Stores all the routes learned from neighbors, including both successors
and feasible successors.
Routing Table: Contains the best routes to each destination, which are selected from the
topology table.

 DUAL (Diffusing Update Algorithm):

The algorithm used by EIGRP to calculate the best path to a destination and to manage
route updates. DUAL ensures loop-free and efficient routing.
 Metric:
The value used by EIGRP to determine the best path to a destination. EIGRP uses a
composite metric based on bandwidth, delay, load, and reliability.
 K Values:
Parameters that define how the EIGRP metric is calculated. The default K values are for
bandwidth, delay, load, reliability, and MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit).
 EIGRP Packet Types:
EIGRP uses five types of packets for communication:
Hello Packets: Used to discover and maintain neighbor relationships.
Update Packets: Carry routing information and updates.
Query Packets: Request information about routes from neighbors.
Reply Packets: Respond to query packets with requested information.
Acknowledgment Packets: Confirm the receipt of EIGRP packets.

Diagram to demonstrate EIGRP

Figure 1 Packet tracer designed and configured EIGRP

 Routers in the network would be connected by network links, with EIGRP packets (hello
packets) exchanged to establish and maintain neighbor relationships. These neighbor
relationships form the basis for EIGRP's routing updates and convergence.
 EIGRP uses HELLO protocol to discover neighbors and forms relationships
 Only partial updates are sent when a change in the network occurs
 Performs equal cost load balancing- a routing strategy that distributes traffic across
multiple paths that have the same routing metric (cost) to a destination
 Loop free is ensured through split horizon which is fully explained in Fig 2 below
 EIGRP supports classless routing protocol - RIPv1 doesn’t accept VLSM because RIPv1
is a classful routing protocol, meaning it doesn't transmit subnet mask information in its
routing updates , in EIGRP when interface details are being sent they send along with the
subnet mask e.g. Class A (/8), Class B(/16) , Class C(/24)
 EIGRP has rapid convergence – keeps network backup paths in its topology table
 There is reduced bandwidth use once neighborhood is established since partial updates
are sent to neighbors in case there is topology change in the network.

EIGRP Operations
 Topology table formed after complete routing information has been successfully
exchanged between designated neighbors.
 The routing table comprises of the best paths only which is calculated using the metric
stated below
 Uses reliable transport protocol which utilizes ACK’s and ordered delivery packets
 Supports both multicast (224.0.0.0 or FF02:A) and unicast functionalities in packet
delivery
 It has fast convergence – it keeps other routes or paths in the topology table for best path
recalculations and updating other neighbors when they send query packets.

EIGRP feature summary

 Implements IP Protocol type 88 providing reliable unicast and multicast packet delivery
 Uses mainly uses bandwidth and cumulative delay primarily when calculating the metric
for best path selection.
 The EIGRP metric calculation formula combines several factors: bandwidth, load, delay,
and reliability, using a set of K values. The formula is:

Metric = [(K1 * bandwidth + (K2 * bandwidth) / (256 - load) + K3 * delay)] * [K5 /

(reliability + K4)].

Elaboration:
K values: K1, K2, K3, K4, and K5 are configurable parameters that control the weighting
of each metric.
Bandwidth: Represents the minimum bandwidth along the path.
Load: Represents the amount of traffic on the link.
Delay: Represents the total delay (sum of individual link delays) along the path.
Reliability: Represents the reliability of the path.

Default K values: By default, K1, K3, and K5 are 1, while K2 and K4 are 0. Zero-rating
K2 and K4 streamlines EIGRP’s operation, focusing on stable metrics while minimizing
complexity and potential instability. Adjusting K values (e.g., enabling load/reliability) is
possible but requires careful planning to avoid unintended consequences. This means that
bandwidth and delay are the primary factors in path selection by default

Key features
 Hello interval- Interval at which a router sends Hello packets on an interface the default
Hello interval is 5 seconds for standard networks and 60 seconds for low-speed, NBMA
(Non-Broadcast Multi-access) networks
 Hold timer – Used to determine when a neighboring router has failed based on a router
not receiving EIGRP messages, including hellos and updates. The time is typically three
times the Hello interval.
 EIGRP uses the multicast address 224.0.0.10 for sending its Hello packets and updates to
other EIGRP routers. This multicast address allows EIGRP routers on the same network
segment to share routing information efficiently.
 Full updates are usually for new connections between established neighbors whilst partial
updates are for established neighborhoods
 EIGRP uses MD5(cryptographic protocol used for authenticating messages as well as
content verification and digital signatures) and the SHA encryption (a family of
cryptographic hash functions used for creating a fixed-size string (hash) from data, which
is then used for various purposes like data integrity checks, digital signatures, and
password storage) technics
 Route tags- there is capability of tagging and filtering internal and external routes using
distribute lists and route maps
 Next Hop Field:
 192.168.7.2 is the exiting interface(A) ip address on R1.When R1 then forwards
routing information to R2 ,and R2 forwards the same routing information to R3
together with its routing information .A default behavior is performed by R2.It
converts the routing information for interface A to be recognized by R3 with the
exiting interface for R2 which is B.
 Manual route summarization is performed at any point (interface level) - allows
defining of specific summary addresses on interfaces to aggregate multiple subnet
routes into a single route. This reduces the size of routing tables and improves
efficiency, especially in large networks.
 Supports IPV4 and IPV6

Packet Types
 Hello – Neighbor discovery
 Update – Have routing information and are sent reliably
 Query – Sent to neighboring routers seeking for information of the lost ip routing
information that’s if the topological table has been lost too. The Queries are sent
to neighbors.
 Reply – Used to respond to query packets with needful ip routing information
requested and are reliable.
 ACK – Are Unicast
**Hello and ACK are not reliable
Query Illustration

 Assuming R1 has forgotten the routing information for the highlighted interface(X), and
the interface address can’t be found in the topology table of R1 also.R1 asks the
neighbors for the same information since there is sharing of routing information between
the three neighbors. Resolving of the marked missing routing details is facilitated through
feedbacks from R2 and R3’s topology tables .If the routing information is accessed from
R3 we take advantage of the default R2’s ip route conversion attained when routing
information was initially shared to R3.
  EIGRP neighborhood - Lists all directly connected neighbors ,Next hop router,
interfaces
 EGRP topology table – Lists all learned routes from EIGRP neighbors , destination ,
Metric
 Global routing – Best routes from topology table will be copied to the routing table

Loop Avoidance in EIGRP

Loop avoidance

Figure 2 Split horizon

 If R2 sends its routing information to R3 and R3 acknowledges the receiving.R3 is then

supposed to inform again its neighbor R2 of the routing information it has. However as to
avoid looping R3 does not send the information it received from R2 which is termed split
horizon
 Split horizon is simply loop avoidance

Advantages of EIGRP
 It is faster than RIP in terms of reacting to changes
 It supports very large networks, doesn't have a limited hop count limit
 Because of its efficient routing algorithm and low bandwidth usage it can handle large
and complex network topologies
 It is easy to configure, basic configurationn does not require advanced technical (to
enable EIGRP the only commands necessary are EIGRP autonomous number system and
network statement commands)
 Makes the most of what it has by using two main techniques when sending data across
the network: equal-cost load balancing and unequal-cost load balancing.
 Equal-cost load balancing: This allows EIGRP to use multiple paths that have the same
cost (or metric, in networking terms) to send data between two points. By default, EIGRP
can use equal-cost load balancing across up to 32 paths, which means that it uses 32 paths
simultaneously to send data in a divided stream to put less strain on a single route by
sharing the load.
 Unequal-cost load balancing: If some routes perform poorly, EIGRP uses a variance
command to allow data to be sent across them if they are within an acceptable range. This
gives EIGRP flexibility when network conditions are not ideal, allowing transmissions to
succeed even when performance is lacking across certain routes instead of failing outright

Disadvantages
  It is Cisco specific, which can limit interoperability with equipment from other
manufacturers
 Frequent exchanges of routing updates and queries in larger networks can consume more
bandwidth and processing resources
 Lack of wide adoption: because proprietary it means it is not adopted as open standards

Practical Applications

 Large Enterprises: Companies with large networks benefit from EIGRP’s scalability and
fast convergence, which makes it ideal for ensuring efficient data routing and minimal
downtime.
 VPN Deployments: EIGRP can manage multiple paths and provide quick route updates
when necessary, making it ideal for dynamic multipoint VPN setups that require reliable
and efficient data transmission across multiple locations.

Scalability Considerations
EIGRP is a scalable routing protocol that ensures that as a network grows larger, it operates
efficiently and adjusts rapidly to changes. The following are some of the many variables that
affect network scalability:
 The amount of information exchanged between neighbors - if more information than
necessary for routing to function correctly is exchanged between EIGRP neighbors,
unnecessary work during routing startup and topology changes results.
 Number of routers - when a topology change occurs, the amount of resources consumed
by EIGRP is directly related to the number of routers that must be involved in the change.
 The topology's depth - the topology's depth can affect the convergence time. Depth refers
to the number of hops that information must travel to reach all routers. For example, a
multinational network without route summarization has a large depth and therefore
increased convergence time.
 The number of alternative paths through the network—A network should provide
alternative paths to avoid single points of failure. However, too many alternative paths
can create problems with EIGRP convergence, because the EIGRP routing process, using
queries, needs to explore all possible paths for lost routes. This complexity creates an
ideal condition for a router to become stuck-in-active (described in the later "EIGRP
Queries and Stuck-in-Active" section) as it awaits a response to queries that are being
propagated through these many alternative paths.

Future of EIGRP
 SDN: One significant trend is the increasing adoption of software-defined networking (SDN).
EIGRP is being integrated into SDN environments to provide dynamic and flexible routing
solutions that can adapt to real-time network demands. This integration allows for better network
automation and management, enhancing EIGRP's applicability in modern networks.
  IPv6: Another trend is the growing importance of IPv6 as organizations transition from IPv4 to
accommodate the expanding number of devices on the internet. EIGRP's support for IPv6 ensures
its continued relevance in this evolving landscape, providing seamless routing in mixed IP
environments.
 Internet of things: manages the increased data from IoT devices
 Cloud networking: facilitates seamless communication in hybrid and multi cloud
environments. Ensures reliable and efficient routing across diverse cloud platforms.
 EIGRP in Supporting High-Speed, Low-Latency 5G Networks: Supports the high
performance and low latency required by 5G.Provides stable and efficient routing in 5G
infrastructures.

Configuring EIGRP
1. TOPOLOGY

2. ADDRESSING TABLE
 3. Configuring EIGRP ON ROUTER 1 USING AUTONOMOUS
NUMBER 10

4. CONFIGURING EIGRP ON R2 USING AUTONOMOUS NUMBER 10

R2(Configure-router)# network 192.168.2.0 0.0.0.255
R2(Configure-router)# network 10.1.1.0 0.0.0.3
R2(Configure-router)# network 10.2.2.0 0.0.0.3

5. Configuring EIGRP ON ROUTER R3 USING UTONOMOUS

NUMBER 10
 R3(Configure-router)# network 192.168.3.0 0.0.0.255
R3(Configure-router)# network 10.2.2.0 0.0.0.3
R3 (Configure-router)# network 10.3.3.0 0.0.0.3

6. I then added Loopback interfaces on Router R3 and the loopback

addresses are as follows:
LOOPBACK 0 : 192.168.33.1 255.255.255.252
LOOPBACK 1: 192.168.33.5 255.255.255.252
LOOPBACK 5: 192.168.33.9 255.255.255.252

7. I then summarized the loopback addresses to get a summary addresses

on R3 and the summary address is 192.168.33.0 and a summary mask of
255.255.255.240

8. Configuring summary address on serial interfaces on R3 which are

S0/0/0 and S0/0/1

9. Configuring EIGRP AUTHENTICATION and enabling it on serial

interfaces link authentication on Routers R1, R2 and R3
 10.LOAD BALANCING

EIGRP Supports equal cost load balancing on its interfaces by default, however you have to set
the maximum number of paths on each router. In this case I set the maximum paths to be 2 on
ALL routers as each router has 2 serial interfaces.

The commands on R1:

R1(Config)# router eigrp 10
R1(Config-router)# maximum-paths 2

11. Repeat the same commands in 10 on the remaining routers R2 and R3

Monitoring and Troubleshooting EIGRP:

Show ip eigrp topology - displays the EIGRP topology table, showing routes learned via EIGRP,
their states, and the FD (Feasible Distance) to the destination
Show ip eigrp neighbors - used to display the current EIGRP neighbor table, showing the IP
addresses of neighboring routers, the interface where they are connected, and other relevant
information like hold time and uptime.
Show ip route eigrp - This command will show a routing table specifically listing routes learned
through EIGRP.
Show ip protocols - displays information about the current state and configuration of active IPv4
routing protocols

Presentation template

Configured and functional EIGRP