Understanding EIGRP Feasible Successor vs. EIGRP Successor Routes

The key difference between EIGRP feasible successor and EIGRP successor routes lies in their paths to a destination network. In EIGRP routing protocol, a feasible successor is a backup route to a destination that meets the feasibility condition in terms of being loop-free and with a metric less than the successor route, offering path redundancy and faster convergence in case the primary route fails.

On the other hand, an EIGRP successor route is the primary route selected to reach a destination network based on its lowest feasible distance, which is the composite metric calculated using bandwidth, delay, reliability, load, and MTU values. The successor route is actively used for forwarding packets until a better path becomes available or the route fails.

Understanding the distinction between EIGRP feasible successor and EIGRP successor routes is crucial for optimizing network performance and ensuring reliable data transmission in Cisco environments.