How VRRP and HSRP Work

[sjrcoel]

Hello, among FHRP, please let me know the operating principle of VRRP and HSRP and what is better about HSRP than VRRP.

[MHM Cisco World]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4a4rgdNGzCY

For me hsrp is best it is so common.

MHM

[ADC Lane]

Hi, 

In my understanding basically:

VRRP has default hello is lower than HSRP.

VRRP is standard , HSRP is cisco proprietary.

VRRP allow device can use physical IP of device for VIP.

About logical configuration, I think is almost same (just difference about command). 

Hope my command is useful !

[Deepak Kumar]

Honestly, neither option is better. They both have more and less. But again it depends on your setup, design and devices/hardware.

1. Vendor Specificity:

   • HSRP: Originally developed by Cisco, HSRP is a Cisco proprietary protocol. This means that it is primarily used in Cisco networking environments.
   • VRRP: VRRP, on the other hand, is an industry standard protocol defined in RFC 5798. It is not vendor-specific and is implemented by various networking equipment manufacturers.

2. Standards Compliance:

   • HSRP: It is not an open standard but is widely supported in Cisco devices.
   • VRRP: It is an open standard, which means it is not limited to a specific vendor and can be used in a multi-vendor environment.

3. Protocol Number:

   • HSRP: Uses IP protocol number xxx (Currently I am not sure about about).
   • VRRP: Uses IP protocol number 112 as well.

4. Configuration Options:

   • HSRP: Offers fewer configuration options compared to VRRP. It is simpler to configure but provides less flexibility.
   • VRRP: Provides more configuration options, making it more flexible in terms of fine-tuning parameters for specific network requirements.

5. Advertisement Interval:

   • HSRP: Uses a default advertisement interval of 3 seconds.
   • VRRP: Typically uses an advertisement interval of 1 second by default.

6. Hello Messages:

   • HSRP: Uses hello messages to determine the health of the routers in the standby group.
   • VRRP: Also uses hello messages for the same purpose.

7. Preemption:

   • HSRP: Supports preemption, which means that if the primary router recovers after a failure, it can take back the role of the active router.
   • VRRP: Also supports preemption.

8. Authentication:

   • HSRP: Supports clear text or MD5 authentication.
   • VRRP: Supports simple text password authentication.

In summary, while both HSRP and VRRP provide router redundancy for high availability, HSRP is Cisco-specific, simpler to configure, and has fewer options, while VRRP is an open standard with more configuration options, making it suitable for multi-vendor environments. The choice between them often depends on the specific requirements of the network and the equipment used.

[M02@rt37]

Hello @sjrcoel 

The choice between HSRP and VRRP often depends on the specific requirements and the networking equipment in use. HSRP is a Cisco-proprietary protocol, but it is supported on a variety of vendor devices. HSRP allows for more granular configuration options compared to VRRP.

[Joseph W. Doherty · Accepted solution]

". . . please let me know the operating principle of VRRP and HSRP . . ."

Both provide an interface IP not bound to a single physical device interface.  Basically, if whatever physical device interface fails, another physical device may take over.

". . . and what is better about HSRP than VRRP."

Hmm, for most use cases, "better" considerations usually not considered.  Technically, I suspect HSRP might be "better", but, personally, when working with Cisco equipment (that also supports VRRP [common now, but wasn't always so]), I would still use HSRP because of its long history.  Or, unless I'm working with mixed vendor hardware, why choose VRRP?

However, in a Cisco environment, if I've a need for a FHRP, good chance I might choose Cisco's GLBP.

Also BTW, Cisco's HSRP had some features on higher end platforms not found on lower end platforms.  Also, after GLBP, some of its features, and higher end platform features, were incorporated into HSRPv2.

HSRPv2, is "better" than VRRP, but most use cases don't need its enhancements.