In this article, we will discuss some common differences between EIGRP & OSPF. Both are dynamic routing protocols and both have their pros and cons. If you are new to the dynamic routing protocols, I recommend you to go through the EIGRP & OSPF, it will help you to understand the below differences. Let’s start!
Key Differences: EIGRP vs OSPF
- EIGRP stands for Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol & OSPF stands for Open Shortest Path first.
- EIGRP is a Hybrid Routing Protocol having the features of both Distance Vector and Link State Routing Protocols. However, OSPF is a link-state routing protocol.
- EIGRP is a Cisco Proprietary Routing Protocol, but OSPF is standardized by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).
- EIGRP uses a combination of Bandwidth, Load, Total Delay, Reliability, MTU, and Hop Count as its metric. OSPF uses the Path Cost as its metric.
- EIGRP is the only routing protocol, that supports unequal cost load balancing. However, OSPF only supports equal-cost load balancing.
- The Administrative Distance (AD) Value of EIGRP is 90 & 170 (Internal & External). OSPF AD value is 110.
- EIGRP Uses Diffused Update Algorithm (DUAL) to calculate the best route. However, OSPF uses the Dijkstra Algorithm to calculate the best path.
- EIGRP Multicast address is 224.0.0.10 & OSPF Multicast addresses are 224.0.0.5 & 224.0.0.6.
- EIGRP uses a feasible successor as a backup path for the destination networks. So, the Convergence time is very less as compared with OSPF.
Note: In some cases of EIGRP, convergence can be almost instant
Now, let’s recap all the differences between EIGRP and OSPF.
| EIGRP | OSPF |
|---|---|
| EIGRP Stands for Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol | OSPF Stands for Open Shortest Path First |
| Hybrid Routing Protocol | Link-State Routing Protocol |
| Cisco Proprietary | Open Standard Routing Protocol |
| EIGRP uses Bandwidth, Load, Total Delay, Reliability, MTU, Hop Count as it's metric | Uses path cost as its routing metric |
| Support Unequal cost load balancing | Only Support equal-cost load balancing |
| AD Value: EIGRP Summary Route - 5 Internal EIGRP - 90 External EIGRP - 170 | AD Value OSPF - 110 |
| Uses DUAL Algorithm | Uses Dijkstra Algorithm |
| Multicast address is 224.0.0.10 | Multicast address is 224.0.0.5 & 224.0.0.6 |
| Convergence Time is very less. | Convergence Time is more than EIGRP. |
Download: EIGRP vs OSPF
Related Articles
- EIGRP: The complete guide for Beginner and Expert
- OSPF | Open Shortest Path First | Quick Overview
- Download Cisco Packet Tracer
- Download GNS3 Latest Version
- Dynamic Routing: A Complete Guide
- OSPF Neighborship States
Summary
Well, in this article, we have discussed approx 10 differences between EIGRP & OSPF. No doubt, both routing protocols are very good for medium to large-scale enterprises. However, the use of one of the routing protocols depends on various factors such as device hardware, capabilities, support, etc.
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