Author: Author: Richard Pateau

Hi, today I am going to talk about OSPF routers and the role of each router. Since OSPF is a vast protocol with a lot going on, different routers carry different duties to make sure that the OSPF AS functions the way that it is supposed to. Without these routers and their role OSPF would…

Today I am going to begin to talk about OSPF and OSPF areas. OSPF is short for Open Shortest Path First, and is an IGP link-state protocol. OSPF operates with routers all having the same identical topology map and from that identical map, every router calculates the shortest path possible using Dijkstra’s algorithm. The shortest…

Today I am going to talk about floating static routes. Floating static routes are backup routes that are strategically configured on a router that serves as a redundancy mechanism in case a primary dynamic route fails. These static routes are invisible to the eye, meaning when they are configured if you look at the routing…

Today I am going to be talking about EIGRP which stands for Enhanced Interior Gateway Protocol. EIGRP is an dynamic IGP that is an advanced distance-vector protocol. EIGRP is viewed as a “hybrid” protocol because it has features of both distance-vector and link-state protocols. EIGRP has an AD of 90 and uses a composite metric…

Today I am going to talk about RIP which is Routing Information Protocol. This is a dynamic protocol and is mostly obsolete because there are other protocols that converge much more quickly like OSPF and EIGRP. RIP has a 30 second update timer and a 180 second invalid timer making convergence very slow compared to…

Today we are going to talk about AD and metrics. If you’ve ever seen a routing table you’ve probably seen something like this [110/65]. Here’s a picture of it below: AD- The number to the left is AD which stands for administrative distance and the number to the right stands for metrics. Ever wondered when…

Static Routing- When it comes to routing, there are two options that can be done which are dynamic or static routing. Each has their own pros and cons, let’s break it down. Static routes are routes that are manually installed in the routing table by an IT member. These routes are “dumb” routes meaning that…

Today we are going to talk about etherchannel. As you know redundancy is huge when it comes to networking, and building a network that can stay online through many failures. Eliminating a single point of failure is one of the best ways to provide redundancy and etherchannel does just that. Etherchannel is a technology in…

So now that we’ve talked all about STP all in my last couple posts, we are still not done lol. STP has been upgraded to RSTP which stands for Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol. This basically functions the same as STP meaning it prevents layer 2 loops while providing redundant back paths, but the difference in…

STP not only provides redundancy and prevents layer 2 loops but it comes jam packed with a ton of additional options that can make a network more secure and functional. Today we are going to dive into all the features that can be enabled on STP.  Portfast- The first feature that I will be talking…