Routing:

Distance Vector Algorithm

Networking
CS 3470, Section 1
Review

 So how is routing different from forwarding?

Routing

Network as a Graph
5
3
B C
2 5
A 2 1 F
3
1 2
D E
1

 The basic problem of routing is to find the

lowest-cost path between any two nodes
 Where the cost of a path equals the sum of the costs
of all the edges that make up the path
Routing

 Routing protocols need to be both dynamic

and distributed
 Deal with node and link failures, changing link
costs, and scalability

4
Distributed Routing Algorithms

 Two standard distributed routing algorithms

 Link state routing
 Distance vector routing
 What link state routing protocol did we
discuss last time?

5
Link State vs Distance Vector

 Both assume that

 The address of each neighbor is known
 The cost of reaching each neighbor is known
 Both find global information
 By exchanging routing info among neighbors
 Differ in info exchanged and route computation
 LS: tells every other node its distance to neighbors
 DV: tells neighbors its distance to every other node

6
Distance Vector Routing

 A router tells neighbors its distance to every

router
 Communication between neighbors only
 Each router maintains a distance table
 A row for each possible destination
 A column for each neighbor
 DX(Y,Z) : distance from X to Y via Z

7
Distance Vector Routing

 Given a distance table we can find the

shortest distance to a destination
 i.e., the smallest value in the row corresponding
to the destination.
 A list of <destination, shortest distance>
tuples is called a distance vector
 Current least cost to each destination
 Exchanged between neighbors
 Based on Bellman-Ford algorithm
 Computes “shortest paths”

8
Distance Table: Example
Distance table at router E
cost to destination via
E
D () A B D

A 1 14 5
B 1 C
7
B 7 8 5
A 8 2
1
E D C 6 9 4
2
D 4 11 2

 If E were to advertise its distance vector, it

would send <A,1>,<B,5>,<C,4>,<D,2>
9
Distance Table to Routing Table

cost to destination via Outgoing link

E
D () A B D to use, cost

A A A,1
1 14 5

B B D,5
7 8 5

C C D,4
6 9 4

D D D,2
4 11 2

Distance table Routing table

10
Distance Vector Routing
Algorithm
 Now the real question…
 How do we compute this distance table?
 That’s where we use Bellman-Ford algorithm.

11
Distance Vector Routing
Algorithm
iterative: Distance Table data
 continues until no nodes structure
exchange info.  each node has its own
 self-terminating: no “signal” to  row for each possible destination
stop  column for each directly-attached
asynchronous: neighbor to node
 example: in node X, for dest. Y
 nodes need not exchange
via neighbor Z:
info/iterate in lock step!
distributed: distance from X to
X = Y, via Z as next hop
 each node talks only with D (Y,Z)
directly-attached neighbors Z
= c(X,Z) + minw{D (Y,w)}

12
Distance Vector Routing: Overview

Each node:
Iterative, asynchronous:
each iteration caused by:
 local link cost change wait for (change in local link
cost or msg from neighbor)
 message from neighbor: its
least cost path change from
neighbor
recompute distance table
Distributed:
 each node notifies neighbors
only when its least cost path to if least cost path to any dest
any destination changes has changed, notify
 neighbors then notify their neighbors
neighbors if necessary

13
Distance Vector Algorithm: Example

Y
2 1
X Z X Z
7 D (Y,Z) = c(X,Z) + minw {D (Y,w)}
= 7+1 = 8

X Y
D (Z,Y) = c(X,Y) + minw {D (Z,w)}
= 2+1 = 3

14
Distance Vector Algorithm:
Example

Y
2 1
X Z
7

15
Distance Vector Algorithm:
Example

Y
2 1
X Z
7

16
 Convergence of DV Routing
router detects local link cost change 1
updates distance table Y
4 1
if cost change in least cost path, notify X Z
neighbors 50

“good algorithm
terminates
news
travels
fast”

17
Problems with DV Routing
Link cost changes:
good news travels fast
60
bad news travels slow Y
“count to infinity” problem! 4 1
X Z
50

algorithm
continues
on!

18
Fixes to Count-to-Infinity Problem

 Split horizon
 A router never advertises the cost of a destination
to a neighbor
 If this neighbor is the next hop to that destination

 Split horizon with poisonous reverse

 If X routes traffic to Z via Y, then
 X tells Y that its distance to Z is infinity
 Instead of not telling anything at all
 Accelerates convergence

19
Split Horizon with Poisoned Reverse

60
If Z routes through Y to get to X : Y
Z tells Y its (Z’s) distance to X is infinite (so 4 1
Y won’t route to X via Z) X Z
50

algorithm
terminates

20
Count-to-Infinity Problem
X Y Z

 What happens when the link Y to Z goes down?

 All three routers X, Y, and W together count to
infinity.
 Split horizon solution works only when two
routers are involved in a loop.

21
Count-to-Infinity Problem
X Y Z

 To completely eliminate the problem, a router

some how need to figure out the complete path
to a destination.
 Obvious solution is to pass on the path
information along with the distance vector.
 This path vector approach is used in BGP.

22
Link State vs Distance Vector

 Tells everyone about  Tells neighbors about

neighbors everyone
 Controlled flooding to  Exchanges distance vectors
exchange link state with neighbors
 Dijkstra’s algorithm  Bellman-Ford algorithm
 Each router computes its own  Each router’s table is used by
table others
 May have oscillations  May have routing loops

23
RIP

 RIP == Routing
Information Protocol 0 8 16 31
Command Version Must be zero
 RIP is a distance vector Family of net 1 Address of net 1
implementation Address of net 1

(network_address,
distance) Distance to net 1
pairs
Family of net 2 Address of net 2

 Instead of advertising
Address of net 2

costs to the next

router, RIP advertises Distance to net 2
the cost to the next
network.