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How can route redistribution lead to routing loops in hybrid OSPF–BGP environments?

Asked on Oct 21, 2025

Answer

Route redistribution between OSPF and BGP can lead to routing loops due to the differences in how these protocols handle route advertisement and path selection. When routes are redistributed from OSPF into BGP and vice versa, it is crucial to manage route metrics and policies to prevent loops, which can occur if routes are advertised back into their original domain.

Example Concept: In a hybrid OSPF–BGP environment, routing loops can occur when a route learned from OSPF is redistributed into BGP and then inadvertently reintroduced into OSPF. This happens if the redistributed route lacks proper tagging or filtering, causing OSPF to see it as a new route and potentially prefer it over the original path. To prevent this, route tagging, careful metric manipulation, and route maps or prefix lists should be used to ensure that routes do not re-enter their originating protocol without proper checks.

Additional Comment:

Use route tagging to mark routes as they are redistributed between protocols.
Implement route maps or prefix lists to control which routes are redistributed.
Adjust metrics to ensure that redistributed routes do not become preferred over original paths.
Regularly audit routing tables and configurations to identify potential loop conditions.
Consider using BGP attributes like AS-PATH to prevent re-advertisement into the originating AS.

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Ask any question about Networking here... and get an instant response.

How can route redistribution lead to routing loops in hybrid OSPF–BGP environments?

Asked on Oct 21, 2025

Answer

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