 - Route summarization, also called route aggregation, is a method of minimizing the number of routing tables in an IP (Internet Protocol) network. It works by consolidating selected multiple routes into a single route advertisement, in contrast to flat routing in which every routing table contains a unique entry for each route.
To implement route summarization in IP Version 4 (IPv4), Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR) must be used. All IP addresses in the route advertisement must share identical high-order bits. The length of the prefix must not exceed 32 bits.
Route summarization offers several important advantages over flat routing. Route summarization can minimize the latency in a complex network, especially when many routers are involved. Because of the reduced number of routing entries, the overhead for routing protocols is minimized. Network stability can be improved by reducing or eliminating unnecessary routing updates after part of the network undergoes a change in topology. Route summarization also greatly reduces processor workloads, memory requirements and bandwidth demand.
See also: supernetting
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Learn more about IP Networking |
| How to subnet: Subnetting calculations and shortcuts: Learn how subnetting works in this tip and quiz on how to calculate a subnet mask. IP address classes and bit values of octets are explained in detail. |
| IP addressing and subnetting explained: Our IP addressing and subnetting crash course provides an overview of IP addressing-related topics, including IPv4 and IPv6, subnetting, DHCP, and calculating subnet masks. |
| Troubleshooting IP Routing -- 'CCNA Official Exam Certification Library, 3rd Edition,' Chapter 7: Learn how to troubleshoot IP routing in preparation for the Cisco CCNA exam in this chapter from 'CCNA Official Exam Certification Library, 3rd Edition.' |
| IP address management -- from 'Network troubleshooting and diagnostics': Learn how IP address management and maintenance tools can help manage the scope of IP addresses on your network. |
| IP Accounting -- from Network Management: Accounting and Performance Strategies: IP Accounting, Chapter 6 of Network Management: Accounting and Performance Strategies, describes the IP Accounting features and functions in Cisco IOS, and SNMP MIB. |
| Basic IP Connectivity and CEF Troubleshooting -- Chapter 4 of "Cisco Express Forwarding": This chapter presents the general troubleshooting used on Cisco IOS routers and switches as a first step in troubleshooting IP connectivity problems. |
| LAST UPDATED: |
30 Jun 2008
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