(also Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol)
The Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP) is a sophisticated distance-vector routing protocol employed in computer networks to facilitate the dynamic sharing of routing data among routers. Created by Cisco Systems, EIGRP allows routers to swiftly adjust to network alterations and identify the optimal route for data transfer. EIGRP is compatible with a range of network layer protocols, including IPv6, and accommodates various network topologies like point-to-point, hub-and-spoke, and mesh configurations.
EIGRP is often compared to Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) and the Routing Information Protocol (RIP). While RIP is an older, less efficient protocol, OSPF is a link-state protocol that offers similar performance as EIGRP. However, EIGRP’s main advantage is its faster convergence time, which allows the network to recover quickly after a topology change.