Routing Protocol
The information superhighway is characterized by an influx of technology-based products and applications, which enormously boost the performance of businesses in today’s competitive global marketplace. The Wide Area Network (WAN) or Internet as the prime mode of information sharing and business determiner is looked upon as the ‘new age medium’ that ensures business continuity and nurtures technological growth in all areas. Stable WANs are the backbone of communications and understanding and fortifying them against disruption is essential for business continuity considerations.
A Routing Protocol defines the communication process that a router adopts to determine the appropriate path along which information must be transmitted across the network. It allows routers to communicate with each other and enables them to choose the appropriate route between any two nodes present in a network. Generally, each router will have details only about its immediate neighbors. Routing protocols enable routers to share this information so that the routers can have distributed knowledge about the network in a broad way.
The routing protocol delineates the method by which a router in a network shares information with other routers and also reports the changes. In effect, it is the application of a routing algorithm in a software or hardware. Routing protocols employ metrics to determine that path that has to be used for transmission of data packets over a network. A few of the metrics are: the hop count, i.e. the number of network layer devices on that path, bandwidth, delay, load, Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU), and cost. The outcome of these metrics is stored in a routing table. Routing protocols are characterized by certain specific aspects. They prevent formation of routing loops and break the routing loops that are formed. Through analyzing the sequence of hops, they can ascertain the most preferred routes and other factors of preference.
A Routing Protocol can be distinguished under three main types, namely, link-state routing protocols, path vector protocols and distance vector routing protocols. However, there may be variants in certain types of protocols. The link-state routing protocol is used for communication between computer systems in packet switched networks. It is one of the two major classes of routing protocols employed in packet switched networks, the other being distance vector routing protocol. As the name denotes, the link-state routing protocol helps to link information transfer in the network. Information regarding constructing the connectivity maps is the only information that is passed between the nodes. The link-state routing protocol necessitates a router to inform all the nodes in network if there are any topological changes.
A path vector protocol maintains the information updating pathway that is distributed over the network. Repeated updates that traverse through the network are efficiently found and discarded. Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) is one of the path vector routing protocols. Mostly, Routers that are specifically used for connecting ISPs and large companies utilize the BGP, which is the core routing protocol of the Internet for exchanging routing information. However, its intricate structure and full mesh configuration brings down the performance of routers. At this juncture, it is worth mentioning that an innovative technology solution provider, FatPipe Networks introduced its patented router clustering technology, which is a leading substitute for BGP load balancing. FatPipe devices do not need BGP programming. This unique feature among a multitude of other technology offerings makes FatPipe, a preferred solution provider in the marketplace.
The third major type of routing protocol is the distance vector protocol. This routing protocol necessitates a router to inform only its neighbors about topological changes in a periodical manner, and in certain cases when changes are found in the network topology. Distance-vector routing protocols are advantageous due to the fact that their functionality has considerably less complexity of computation when compared to Link-state routing protocols.
In the larger business scenario, some routing protocols are designed for the internal use of organizations, while some are used between organizations. Routing information is exchanged within a single routing domain by Interior Gateway Protocols (IGPs). The given autonomous system can comprise multiple routing domains or coordination carried on among a set of routing domains. Examples of this type include Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (IGRP), Open Shortest Path First (OSPF), Routing Information Protocol (RIP), and Intermediate System to Intermediate System (IS-IS). OSPF is the present lead IGP. Exterior routing protocols (EGPs) are those protocols, which route information between separate independent systems. Common examples of EGPs include Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), and Constrained Shortest Path First (CSPF). BGP4 is currently the leading Exterior Gateway Protocol.
It is to be noted that routing protocols operate at Layer 3 of the OSI model, which also distributes information based on topology between routers. The Internet or Wide Area Network (WAN) uses many routing protocols, which are defined in Request for Comments (RFC) documents. As per the OSI routing framework, a routing protocol is a network layer management protocol, irrespective of the transport process. IS-IS runs over the data link layer, OSPF, IGRP, and EIGRP over IP, RIP over UDP, and BGP over TCP. The routing protocol enables a network to dynamically adjust to conditions without the necessity of predetermined or static routing decisions.
In a growing business environment it is of the essence to utilize appropriate technological gadgets to ensure business continuity, the core of every business. FatPipe Networks provides a comprehensive suite of WAN optimization solutions. Its broad range of products can equip businesses with high levels of WAN optimization, reliability, security, and bandwidth management. FatPipe technology enables varied connections to ISPs and it can take disparate connections and perform dynamic load balancing and failover functions. FatPipe devices do not need BGP programming. They ensure redundancy, reliability, and speed, which is essential for companies to meet their business continuity standards.
