Count to Infinity Problem in Distance Vector
Routing
Since the Bellman-Ford algorithm is unable to prevent loops, the fundamental problem
with Distance Vector Routing (DVR) protocols is Routing Loops. The Count to Infinity
Problem is brought on by this routing loop in the DVR network. When two routers deliver
updates simultaneously or when an interface goes down, routing loops frequently
happen.
Count to Infinity:
Distance-vector routing has the drawback that while cost increases (bad news)
propagate slowly, cost decreases (positive news) propagate quickly. Distance-vector
routing takes some time for all other routers to become aware of a broken connection
(cost becomes infinity), which is necessary for a routing protocol to function properly.
Counting to infinity is the name given to the issue. A broken link's cost may not always
be registered as infinite by all routers until numerous updates have passed.
Two Node Loop:
The two-node loop issue is an example of count to infinity. Let's examine the case
shown in Figure to better grasp the issue.
o A system with three nodes is depicted in the figure. Only the elements of the
forwarding table required for our discussion have been displayed. Nodes A
and B are first able to connect to node X. However, the connection between A
and X abruptly breaks down. The table of Node A is altered. Everything will be
good if A can quickly transmit its table to B. If B, instead of waiting for A to
transmit its forwarding table, sends its forwarding table to A first, the system
becomes unstable.
o When Node A receives the update, it instantly updates its forwarding table in
the event that B has managed to connect to X. A has just updated B and sent
it a fresh message. B has now updated its forwarding table as it believes that
something has changed around A. Until it approaches infinity, the price of
getting to X rises gradually. Both A and B are aware that X cannot be reached
at this time. In contrast, the system is unstable at the present time.