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EIGRP fast reroute vs Unequal cost loadbalancing (Variance)

nwekechampion
Level 3
Level 3

Hi Guys,

 

Can anyone tell me what would be the use case for Fast-reroute or UCLB?

 

Thanks

23 Replies 23

On the subject of LFA-FRR, @Richard Burts, I believe is asserting that "It is a basic part of the eigrp protocol and anyone who has had a feasible successor is using LFA." and "(Fast Reroute/LFA) which is the default."  These assertions "correctness" may depend on exactly what we mean by LFA-FRR.

My reading of Cisco's documentation is "Loop Free Alternate (LFA) Fast Reroute (FRR)" is a specific feature mentioned in documentation going back to at least 2012.

What's unclear is whether this "feature" is one and the same as EIGRP having a feasible successor route which it can quickly use if the successor route fails (the latter I suspect has been there since the beginning of EIGRP).

The explicit Loop Free Alternate (LFA) Fast Reroute (FRR), at the least, is an optional extension/expansion of what EIGRP has supported all along.

What this feature offers, unlike classical EIGRP use of "per-link" rerouting using the feasible successor, is "per-destination" rerouting using "tie breaking" rules.  There's much about this feature, that makes my fully understanding it, somewhat difficult, for example, its considerations when ECMP is in use.

Reading various sources of information on the "per-destination" optional variant, there are some explicit changes that can be seen, but assumptions are made that may not be true.

For example, when you've configure the "per-destination" optional variant, a "backup route" can be seen in the RIB and FIB.  Such, is what further insures the "fast" in "fast reroute".

When "per-link" is being used, many assume an EIGRP feasible successor is not in the RIB or FIB, but only in EIGRP.  Perhaps that's true, and perhaps not.  IMO, It's possible that an EIGRP feasible successor, at some point in IOS's evolution, might also be in RIB and FIB, just not explicitly visible.  Why not visible?  Possibly because, logically, there's no change in function; beyond faster performance.

However, with "per-destination", "seeing" what prefix will go where, can be important.

As a side note, and perhaps showing how this optional feature is very much "different" from classical EIGRP feasible successor failover, Cisco has an OSPF LFA-FFR feature too!  Understand, OSPF doesn't keep track of backup-routes, so this "like" feature, for OSPF, is interesting!  Further, Cisco also has a BGP PIC (prefix independent convergence) feature, which also computes and saves a backup/alternate path in the RIB and FIB for very fast (50 ms?) rerouting.  Hmm, sound similar?

The latter two also appear to be optional features.

All three, I suspect, have similar goals and likely similar RIB/FIB support.

So to recap, traditional EIGRP quickly using a feasible successor, likely, is much like another routing database having a higher AD, i.e. it's waiting "in the wings" to replace a failed route, with a lower AD, in the RIB/FIB.

These new fast reroute features, appear to optionally compute the best alternative route, even for routing protocols that don't do this, and have the alternate/standby route already in the RIB and FIB to very quickly take over if the current active route is withdrawn.

BTW, in classical OSPF, the "fastest" way to deal with link failure, is to have multiple ECMP paths.  This so you don't need to wait for SPF recalculation (and other OSPF delays - feeding SPF).  Here Rick is 100% correct, EIGRP, if it already has a feasible successor, is going to be "faster" than OSPF.  I expect EIGRP and OSPF (and even BGP), if all support their version of the LFA-FFR would make the switch about equally fast.

Thanks for the practical examples.. helped to bed in the concepts with @Richard Burts  explanation.

Glad that our explanations have been helpful. It has been an interesting question. On one hand Fast Reroute/LFA and UCLB seem to be separate functions. One is about how the routing protocol responds when an existing route fails and a replacement route is implemented and the other is about how the protocol can use multiple paths toward a destination when the metrics of the paths are not the same.

On the other hand both are about how the routing protocol can handle the situation when there are multiple paths toward a destination and the paths do not have the same metric.

So you asked a very interesting question. Thank you for marking this question as solved. This will help other participants in the community to identify discussions which have helpful information. This community is an excellent place to ask questions and to learn about networking. I hope to see you continue to be active in the community

HTH

Rick

nwekechampion
Level 3
Level 3

Thanks heaps guys!

Appreciate the time spent in providing in clarifying this topic.

Sometimes google doesnt help and each author has got a different explanation of certain concepts that can make it even more confusing!

Appreciate it

Now time to get answer Better than google LoL..
@MHM Cisco World says that he has never used LFA and it would be true that he has never configured enabling the feature. But he has used it. It is a basic part of the eigrp protocol and anyone who has had a feasible successor is using LFA.  for Me MHM I am not totally agree with this point, they are two different concept.

Now I try make it many parts but in end I decide to merge in one post. 
FS vs LFA 
FS is select the best path can use in case if  primary failed BUT it only keep in EIGRP topology not populate to RIB and CEF 

LFA s select the best path can use in case if primary failed it also populate to RIB and CEF 

this can seen in low time for recover if we use LFA 

NOW the most interesting part, 
in lab below we have three path and one select as best so we talk about UNEQUAL 
but what LFA tie using for ??
in lab I use same cost for two other path (circle by red). here the tie of LFA work place and it prefer one path than other. 

 Screenshot (559).pngScreenshot (560).pngScreenshot (558).png

Joseph W. Doherty
Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame

Oh, my, I believe further clarifications are needed.  So, I'll post a reply to @paul driver and @Richard Burts, addressing some very subtle points (that may further clarify what we're discussing, but may not be too useful to OP or others who are uninterested in the very fine details).

Very good and thorough answers by some very awesome professionals.

I did want to point out (since I saw it in multiple posts) that the feasible successor is not automatically promoted to successor. It still evaluates paths from all neighbors. Even I thought this was the case for the longest time. The FS means that it only is loop free...not necessarily the best path. If the Successor route fails it will still re-evaluate the  routes learned from neighbors and I believe will even send out a query too. It will then choose a Successor and make any routes that pass the new FC as FS. Just a little more added on to some very good explanations.

 

-David

Thank you for sharing. I will definitely give that a read as the master Peter himself is the responder. Not that article but a CCIE book written by him as well challenged the idea for me. I also turned to Twitter and some people gave me equal good resources such as a video with Peter explaining the very concept.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2J25r2pg_mI

 

-David

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