Glossary

Converged:
When intermediate devices, all have the same consistent network topology in their routing tables.
Convergence:
Speed and ability of a group of internetworking devices running a specific routing protocol to agree
on the topology of an internetwork after a change in that topology.
NVRAM: Non-volatile random access memory. Random access memory that, when the computer
shuts down, the contents in NVRAM remain there.
Null Interface: The null interface provides an alternative method of filtering traffic. You can avoid
the overhead involved with using access lists by directing undesired network traffic to the null
interface. This interface is always up and can never forward or receive traffic. Think of it as a black
hole.
IOS Cisco: Internetwork Operating System (IOS).
Static routing: Routing that depends on manually entered routes in the routing table.
Dynamic routing: Routing that adjusts automatically to the network topology or traffic changes.
Dynamic routing protocols are RIP, EIGRP.
Split horizon: Routing technique in which information about routes is prevented from exiting the
router interface through which that information was received. Split horizon updates are useful in
preventing routing loops.
Flash: Non-volatile storage that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. It allows software
images to be stored, booted and rewritten as necessary. Developed by Intel and licensed to other
semiconductor companies.
Terminal: In data communications, a terminal is any device that terminates one end (sender or
receiver) of a communicated signal. In practice, it is usually applied only to the extended end points
in a network, not central or intermediate devices. In this usage, if you can send signals to it, it's a
terminal.
Router: The primary function of a router is to forward a packet toward its destination network,
which is the destination IP address of the packet.
Administrative distance: Rating of trustworthiness of a routing information source. It often is
expressed as a numerical value between 0 and 255. The higher the value, the lower the
trustworthiness rating. The router will select the route with the lowest administrative distance.
The following tables gives the default administrative distances used by Cisco routers.

Protocol Administrative distance

Directly connected route 0
Static route out an interface 1° Static route to next-hop address 1
Metric: A metric is the
EIGRP summary route 5 External BGP 20
Internal EIGRP 90 IGRP quantitative value used
100
OSPF 110 IS-IS to measure the distance
115
RIP 120 EGP 140
to a given route.
ODR 160 External EIGRP 170
This information is
stored in routing tables. Metrics include bandwidth, communication cost, delay, hop count, load,
MTU, path cost and reliability.
Hub-and-spoke: A hub-and-spoke topology consists of a central location (the hub) and multiple
branch locations (spokes).
Interior Gateway Protocol: Internet protocol used to exchange routing information within an
autonomous system. Example of IGP’s are IGRP, OSPF and RIP.
RIP: Routing Information Protocol. The most common IGP in the internet. Rip uses hop count as a
routing metric.
Network discovery: Network discovery is the ability of a routing protocol to share information about
the networks that it knows about with other routers that are also using the same routing protocol.
Asymmetric routing: A packet can take different routes to and from. It is when a path from Network
1 to Network 2 is different from the path from Network 2 to Network 1. Packets can traverse the
network in one direction, using one path, and return via another path.
Time to live: Field in an IP header that indicates how long a packet is considered valid.