Solved: RIP OSPF between Cisco and Netscreen

Kevin Dorrell · ‎05-23-2006

Maybe this is not the best forum to ask this question, but it is the best forum generally.

I am evaluating the use of a routing protocol between Cisco routers and a Netscreen firewall. I believe the Netscreen can do OSPF aned RIP. My question is really about the Netscreen. If the Netscreen has to equal cost routes coming from RIP or OSPF, is it capable of balancing the traffic in the same way a router would? If so, what algorithm does it use - does it balance by flow, by packet, by load, or what?

Kevin Dorrell

Luxembourg

rais · ‎05-23-2006

NetScreen supports OSPF, RIP and BGP. It supports Equal Cost Multiple Paths but default is set to 1 path.

Per-Session/flow load balancing is enabled when:

1. multiple routes have same preference (admin dist in Cisco)

2. these routes have same metric and

3. ECMP is enabled.

Thanks.

View solution in original post

rais · ‎05-23-2006

NetScreen supports OSPF, RIP and BGP. It supports Equal Cost Multiple Paths but default is set to 1 path.

Per-Session/flow load balancing is enabled when:

1. multiple routes have same preference (admin dist in Cisco)

2. these routes have same metric and

3. ECMP is enabled.

Thanks.

Kevin Dorrell · ‎05-23-2006

Thank you. That is what I needed to know.

You you know of any snags when interoperating Cisco routers with Netscreen, or is it pretty safe?

Also, I presume that I can activate OSPF on a Netscreen zone without disrupting the existing static-route traffic.

Kevin Dorrell

Luxembourg

rais · ‎05-23-2006

I have used ScreenOS 5.1.r8 OSPF/BGP with Cisco routers with almost no problems. I do remember a bug in which BGP on an interface gets disabled under very specific scenarios. Later versions overcome this bug.

Activating OSPF with existing traffic should not be a problem, though I haven't done this.

Thanks.