Dynamic Routing Protocol — Easy & Clear Explanation
🔄 Dynamic Routing Protocol — Easy & Clear Explanation
A Dynamic Routing Protocol is used by routers to automatically learn, share, and update routes to reach different networks—without manual configuration for every path.
Instead of static routes, routers communicate with each other and decide the best path for data.
🧠 Why Dynamic Routing Is Important
- Networks change (links go down/up)
- Automatic route updates
- Faster recovery from failures
- Scales well in large networks
🔑 How Dynamic Routing Works (Simple)
1️⃣ Routers exchange routing information
2️⃣ They calculate the best path using a metric
3️⃣ Routing tables update automatically
4️⃣ Traffic follows the best available route
📊 Common Metrics Used
- Hop count
- Bandwidth
- Delay
- Cost
- Reliability
🧩 Types of Dynamic Routing Protocols
1️⃣ Distance Vector
- Shares routing table with neighbors
- Simpler, slower convergence
Examples:
- RIP
- IGRP (legacy)
📌 Metric: Hop count
2️⃣ Link State
- Routers share link information
- Build a full network map
- Fast convergence
Examples:
- OSPF
- IS-IS
📌 Metric: Cost
3️⃣ Hybrid / Advanced Distance Vector
- Mix of both approaches
Examples:
- EIGRP (Cisco)
📌 Metric: Bandwidth, delay, reliability
4️⃣ Path Vector
- Used between ISPs
- Controls routing between autonomous systems
Example:
- BGP
📌 Metric: Path attributes
🌍 Popular Dynamic Routing Protocols (Summary)
ProtocolTypeBest ForRIPDistance VectorSmall networksOSPFLink StateEnterprise networksEIGRPHybridCisco environmentsBGPPath VectorInternet routing
🔐 Security Perspective (High-Level)
- Routing updates must be authenticated
- Misconfigurations can cause outages
- Secure routing = stable network
🧠 Static vs Dynamic Routing
StaticDynamicManualAutomaticSimpleScalableNo auto-failoverSupports redundancy