Fundamental Differences Among Vectoring Routing Protocols on Non-Isotonic Metrics

All of RIP, EIGRP, BGP, DSDV, and Babel have been classified as distance-vector protocols. The common denomination belies their different outcomes when routing on metrics that do not satisfy the algebraic property of left-isotonicity. Under this circumstance, we show that non-restarting vectoring protocols, such as RIP, EIGRP, and BGP, route correctly, along paths that can be characterized as the best possible subject to a destination-based forwarding strategy; whereas, contrastingly, restarting vectoring protocols, such as DSDV and a mode of operation of Babel, do not route correctly.