Comparative evaluation of OSPF and EIGRP in the IPv4 and IPv6 environments

by

Acknowledgement

I would take this opportunity to thank my research supervisor, family and friends for their support and guidance without which this research would not have been possible.

DECLARATION

I, [type your full first names and surname here], declare that the contents of this dissertation/thesis represent my own unaided work, and that the dissertation/thesis has not previously been submitted for academic examination towards any qualification. Furthermore, it represents my own opinions and not necessarily those of the University.

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ABSTRACT

The Client network is based on the TCP/IP protocol, which permits the efficient routing of data packets based on their IP address. Cisco routers are used at various points in the network to control and forward the data. Alcatel OmniSwitch switch/routers are also used in the Site 2 facilities. At the current point a decision is being made by on whether to keep the existing Alcatel infrastructure in the Site 2 facility or migrate that equipment to similar Cisco equipment as exists in Site 1. The current Alcatel equipment is experiencing severe problems such as hardware failures, power supply failures, operating system memory leaks resulting in reboots. If the decision is made to upgrade the Alcatel switch/routers then an evaluation will need to be made on what the proper routing protocol should be running corporate wide will be needed. This would be an evaluation of suitability of Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP) or Open Shortest Path First (OSPF). In order for the routers to effectively and efficiently distribute data to the users in the field, the routers must be programmed with the topology of the network. In other words, the routers must contain a “map” of the other routers in the network and what TCP/IP devices are connected to them.

There are a number of methods to program the routers with this information and to change the program as the network changes. The choice of method, or routing protocol is a critical factor in the success of the network over time. Factors that differentiate one routing protocol from another include the speed that it adapts to topology changes (convergence), the ability to choose the best route among multiple routes (route calculation), and the amount of network traffic that the routing protocol creates. Based on this evaluation of the suitability of a routing protocol for 's routed TCP/IP network the EIGRP routing protocol should be used in the Alcatel routers are upgraded to Cisco routers. However, if the Alcatel routers are retained for service within the Site 2 campus then Client has no alternative but to run OSPF throughout the organization.

ABSTRACT4

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION7

Research Questions9

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW10

Distance Vector Protocols10

Link State Protocol11

Comparison of Distance Link State and Protocol Vector Protocol12

Speed of Convergence12

Propagation12

Functionality13

Simplicity13

Memory Requirement13

Bandwidth14

Topology Change14

Computation14

Robustness14

Static Routing15

Distance Vector Protocols16

Link-State Protocols17

Advanced Distance Vector Protocol19

Path Vector Protocols20

Protocol Decision Criteria20

OSPF22

OSPF Network Topology22

Backbone Considerations24

Area Considerations25

OSPF Addressing and Route Summarization26

OSPF Route Summarization27

Separate Address Structures for Each Area28

Bit-Wise Subnetting and VLSM28

Route Summarization Techniques28

Area-to-Backbone Route Advertisement29

Backbone-to-Area Route Advertisement29

OSPF Route Selection31

Tuning OSPF ...