Introduction

EIGRP provides a mechanism to load balance over unequal cost paths throungh Variance
Command. Variance is a number (1 to 128), multiplied by the local best metric then includes the
routes with the lesser or equal metric. The default Variance value is 1, which means equal-cost
load balancing.

A condition, Feasibility Condition, must be met for all routes to be installed in routing table via
Variance Command.

What is Feasibility Condition?

If, for a destination, a neighbour router advertises a distance that is stricktly lower than our
feasible distance, then this neighbour lies on a loop free route to this destination.

Prerequisite

Understanding of EIGRP routing protocol

Topology Diagram

Background
In this document we are trying to understand the feasibility condition and the working of
variance command. All routers depcited in the topology diagram are configured with EIGRP
routing protocol. The Lo3 address (3.3.3.3/32) is redistributed in EIGRP via redistribute
connected command under the EIGRP process.

Router R1 has three paths to the route 3.3.3.3/32

1. Path R1-R2-R3
2. Path R1-R4-R3
3. Path R1-R5-R3

Specifically, we have used different interface selection to provide unequal cost.

With default configuration, the route R1-R2-R3 is chosen over the others as the overall metric of
this path is less as compared to that of the paths. Please see the output of the command "show ip
route eigrp".

So far so good. Everything is working as expected.

As we desire, EIGRP with load balancing functionality, the route 3.3.3.3/32 should be available
with R1 via R4 and R5. We verify the minimum and the maximum cost to reach 3.3.3.3 network
from R1 via command "show ip eigrp topology all-links". R1 from its EIGRP topology table is
learning the route 3.3.3.3/32 from all the sources but installed the route learned via neighbour R2
in its routing table.

The lowest metric is 435200 (that of path R1-R2-R3) and the maximum 2809856 (that of path
R1-R5-R3).
Doing a small calculation to find the variance number, 2809856/435200 = 6.4567. I wil use a
variance value of 7. Now 7*435200 = 3046400, routes with metric less than this value should be
included.

On configuring command "variance 7" under EIGRP process, the route 3.3.3.3/32 now has two
sources, R2 and R4. This can be verified by command "show ip route eigrp" on R1.

The output is not what we desired, the expected result was route 3.3.3.3 to be available from all
the three neighbours i.e. R2, R4 and R5. Why the route from R4 was included and the route R5
discarded?

For R1 and R4
 1. If, for a destination (3.3.3.3), a neighbour router (R4) advertises a distance (409600) that
is stricktly lower than our feasible distance (435200), then this neighbour lies on a loop
free route to this destination.
2. Metric learned from R4 (2323456) < Metric Calculated via Variance Multiplier
(3046400)

For R1 and R5, this condition is not met as R5 advertises a distance 2297856 which is much
higher that the feasible distance (435200) on R1.

Note: Even though the overall metric from R5 (2323456) is less than the Metric Calculated via
Variance Multiplier (3046400), the route 3.3.3.3 is discarded as it does not meet the Feasibility
Condition.