📖 20. Unicast Routing

📖 From Data Communication and Networks • 199 questions available

About 20. Unicast Routing

Unicast routing determines optimal paths for one-to-one packet delivery across internetworks using metrics like hop count, bandwidth, delay, or administrative cost. Distance-vector protocols (RIP) exchange periodic routing tables with neighbors and suffer from slow convergence and counting-to-infinity problems, while link-state protocols (OSPF, IS-IS) flood complete topology maps enabling Dijkstra-based shortest-path computation with faster adaptation and loop-free guarantees, representing fundamental algorithmic trade-offs in distributed routing.

Path-vector protocols like BGP operate at inter-domain scale, exchanging reachability information enriched with policy attributes rather than pure metrics, enabling autonomous systems to enforce business relationships and traffic engineering preferences. Modern enhancements including ECMP load balancing, segment routing, and SDN-based centralized optimization address scalability and agility limitations of traditional distributed routing, reflecting ongoing tension between autonomy, optimality, and operational complexity in large-scale networks.

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🔄 Last updated: 2026-08-01