On the convergence of the eigrp routing protocol

Abstract

Distance vector routing protocols were popular choice among network engineers in the ‘80s due to their simplicity in implementation and low computational requirements. However, all distance vector protocols are prone to creation of routing loops; a phenomenon that is not desirable in modern computer networks. Cisco with their proprietary routing protocol - EIGRP claim that they solve the problem of creation of routing loops and improve the network convergence time. In this paper we give an overview of the EIGRP routing protocol with an emphasis on its convergence. We propose a mechanism that improves the convergence by taking into account the hop count that is reported by the neighboring routers.