EIGRP and OSPF are both routing protocols used in computer networks. EIGRP (Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol) is a Cisco proprietary protocol designed for routing within autonomous systems. It supports both IPv4 and IPv6, using a metric based on bandwidth and delay by default.
OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) is an open-standard routing protocol that operates similarly to EIGRP but is vendor-neutral. It calculates the shortest path to a destination based on link costs derived from bandwidth. OSPF supports IPv4 and IPv6 and is widely used in large-scale networks.
The main difference between OSPF and EIGRP lies in their proprietary versus open-standard nature. EIGRP is proprietary to Cisco, limiting its interoperability, while OSPF is an open standard, enabling multi-vendor deployment. OSPF uses a different metric calculation based on cost, whereas EIGRP’s metric includes bandwidth and delay by default.
EIGRP stands for Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol. It is a distance vector routing protocol developed by Cisco. EIGRP is designed to reduce the routing instability associated with traditional distance vector protocols and offers features like rapid convergence, support for multiple network layer protocols, and minimal use of network bandwidth.
EIGRP is often considered advantageous in Cisco-centric environments due to its efficiency, rapid convergence, and support for various network layer protocols. It offers features such as route summarization, unequal-cost load balancing, and reduced bandwidth usage through periodic updates and query messages. These characteristics contribute to its reputation as a robust and scalable routing protocol.