Overview

This chapter gives you an overview of how routing protocols operate and describes the two primary types of routing: static and dynamic. Of these two, only dynamic uses routing protocols. As a result, dynamic routing is much more powerful and complicated.

Dynamic routing protocols are the technology that enables routers to perform some of their more vital functions. This includes discovering and maintaining routes, converging on an agreement of a network's topology, as well as some of the differences in the ways to calculate routes. Examining the mechanics of these basic functions will provide the context for a more in-depth examination of each of the more commonly encountered dynamic routing protocols.