Routing with a distance vector

protocol – Configuring EIGRP

Introducing Routing and Switching in the Enterprise – Chapter 5.3

Copyleft 2012 Vincenzo Bruno (www.vincenzobruno.it)

Released under Crative Commons License 3.0 By-Sa
Cisco name, logo and materials are Copyright Cisco Systems Inc. 1
Overview
 Enable the EIGRP routing
process
● Enabling the EIGRP process requires an autonomous system
parameter.
● This AS parameter can be assigned any 16-bit value and
identifies all of the routers belonging to a single company or
organization.
● Although EIGRP refers to the parameter as an autonomous
system number, it actually functions as a process ID.
● This AS number is locally significant only and is not the same as
the autonomous system number issued and controlled by the
Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA).
● The AS number in the command must match on all routers that
work within the EIGRP routing process.
 Enabling commands

● Router(config)#router eigrp ?
● <1­65535> Autonomous system number
● Router(config)#router eigrp 1
● Router(config­router)#network 172.16.0.0
 Configuring EIGRP
● To configure EIGRP to advertise only certain subnets, include
a wildcard mask after the network number.
● To determine the wildcard mask, subtract the subnet mask
from 255.255.255.255
● Add eigrp log­neighbor­changes command to view
changes in neighbor adjacencies (*).
● This feature helps the administrator monitor the stability of the
EIGRP network.
● On serial links that do not match the default EIGRP bandwidth
of 1.544 Mbps, add the bandwidth command followed by the
actual speed of the link expressed in kbps.
● Inaccurate bandwidth interferes with choosing the best route.

* Not available in Packet Tracer

Eigrp example
 EIGRP authentication
● Once EIGRP is enabled, any router configured with EIGRP and
the correct autonomous system number can enter the EIGRP
network.
● This means routers with different or conflicting route information
can affect and possibly corrupt the routing tables.
● To prevent this, it is possible to enable authentication within the
EIGRP configuration.
● Once neighbor authentication is configured, the router
authenticates the source of all routing updates before accepting
them.
 Step 1: Key Creation
To create the key perform the following commands (*):
● key chain name­of­chain
● Global configuration command.
● Specifies the name of the keychain and enters the configuration
mode for the keychain.
● key key­id
● Identifies the key number and enters the configuration mode for
that key-id.
● key­string text
● Identifies the key string or password. This must be configured to
match on all EIGRP routers.

* Not available in Packet Tracer

 Step 2: Enabling Authentication
The key is used to enable MD5 authentication for EIGRP with the
following interface configuration commands:
● ip authentication mode eigrp md5
● Specifies that MD5 authentication is required for the exchange of
EIGRP packets.
● ip authentication key­chain eigrp AS name­of­chain
● AS specifies the autonomous system of the EIGPR configuration.
● To set the time period during which the authentication key on a key
chain is received as valid, use the command:
● accept­lifetime start­time {infinite | end­time |
duration seconds}
● no accept­lifetime [start­time {infinite | end­time
| duration seconds}]
● To revert to the default value, use the no form of this command.
 EIGRP route summarization
● Like RIP, EIGRP automatically summarizes subnetted networks on
the classful boundary.
● EIGRP creates only one entry in the routing table for the summary
route.
● A best path or successor route is associated with the summary
route.
As a result, all traffic destined for the subnets travels across that one
path.
● When default summarization is disabled, updates include subnet
information.
● The routing table installs entries for each of the subnets and also
an entry for the summary route.
● The summary route is called the parent route and the subnet routes
are called the child routes.
 Null0 summary route
● EIGRP installs a Null0 summary route in the routing table for
each parent route.
● The Null0 interface indicates that this is not an actual path, but
a summary for advertising purposes.
● If a packet matches one of the child routes, it forwards out the
correct interface.
● If the packet matches the summary route but does not match
one of the child routes, it is discarded.
 Manual summarization
● An administrator may have a situation in which some of the
subnets need to be summarized and some do not.
● The decision to summarize depends on the placement of the
subnets.
● As an example, four contiguous subnets terminating on the same
router are good candidates for summarization.
● Manual summarization is done on a per-interface basis and gives
the network administrator complete control.
● A manually summarized route appears in the routing table as an
EIGRP route sourced from a logical, not physical, interface:
● D 192.168.0.0/22 is a summary, Null0
Manual summarization example
 Eigrp verification commands
● show ip protocols
● Verifies that EIGRP is advertising the correct networks
● Displays the autonomous system number and administrative distance
● show ip route
● Verifies that the EIGRP routes are in the routing table
● Designates EIGRP routes with a D or a D EX
● Has a default administrative distance of 90 for internal routes
● show ip eigrp neighbors detail
● Verifies the adjacencies EIGRP forms
● Displays the IP addresses and interfaces of neighbor routers
● show ip eigrp topology
● Displays successors and all feasible successors
● Displays feasible distance and reported distance
● show ip eigrp interfaces detail
● Verifies the interfaces using EIGRP
● show ip eigrp traffic
● Displays the number and types of EIGRP packets sent and received
 Debug EIGRP
● If adjacencies appear normal but problems still exist, an
administrator should begin troubleshooting using debug
commands to view real-time information on the EIGRP activities
occurring on a router.
● debug eigrp packet
● displays transmission and receipt of all EIGRP packets
● debug eigrp fsm
● displays feasible successor activity to determine whether routes
are discovered, installed, or deleted by EIGRP
 Issues and limitations of EIGRP
● Although EIGRP is a powerful and sophisticated routing
protocol, several considerations limit its use:
● Does not work in a multi-vendor environment because it is a Cisco
proprietary protocol
● Works best with a flat network design
● Must share the same autonomous system among routers and
cannot be subdivided into groups
● Can create very large routing tables, which requires large update
packets and large amounts of bandwidth
● Uses more memory and processor power than RIP
● Works inefficiently when left on the default settings
● Requires administrators with advanced technical knowledge of the
protocol and the network
End of lesson