What is the benefit of EIGRP?

EIGRP stands for Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol. The Protocol was designed by Cisco and is only available on Cisco routers.

EIGRP helps in computer networking by automating routing decisions and configurations. It is an advanced distance vector routing protocol based on the principles of the Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (IGRP). It is also called a Hybrid Protocol.

As per Cisco,

Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP) is an interior gateway protocol suited for many different topologies and media. In a well-designed network, EIGRP scales well and provides extremely quick convergence times with minimal network traffic.

Having done with the intro, Let’s dive deep into the benefits of using the EIGRP protocol.

Benefits of EIGRP :

1. Advanced Protocol –
   EIGRP is an advanced distance-vector routing protocol that helps in automating routing decisions & configurations on a computer network.
   
2. Multi-Network Support –
   One striking feature about EIGRP is that it supports both IPv6 and IPv4 networks.
   
3. Rate of Convergence –
   EIGRP is preferred because it converges rapidly for any change encountered in the network topology. Usually, EIGRP will converge in 200 milliseconds. It uses ECMP ( Equal-Cost Multi-Path ) to make use of links more efficient.
   
4. Reduces Traffic –
   EIGRP helps in reducing network traffic by only enabling “need-based” updates.
   
5. Provides Encryption –
   It provides encryption for security and can be used with iBGP for WAN routing.
   
6. Protocol Dependent Modules –
   EIGRP with protocol-dependent modules can route several different layer protocols. It performs a much easier transition with a multi-address family.
   
7. Easy to Configure –
   EIGRP configuration was designed to be easy to configure.

EIGRP or Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol is a highly advanced hybrid protocol that offers seamless benefits over other competitor protocols. From easy configuration to a rapid rate of convergence, EIGRP has got your back! It enhances computer networks with different topologies by automating routing decisions and configurations.

The only setback to EIGRP is that it is not extensible. EIGRP doesn’t support future applications. Another disadvantage can be seen as it is only accessible with Cisco network devices.