VRRP & GLBP Explained: Gateway Redundancy Options
VRRP and GLBP are first-hop redundancy protocols (FHRPs), like HSRP, that keep a default gateway available if a router fails. VRRP is the open standard; GLBP is Cisco-proprietary and uniquely adds active-active load balancing across multiple routers.
VRRP: the open standard
VRRP (Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol) works much like HSRP — routers share a virtual IP, one Master forwards, backups take over on failure — but it's an IETF standard, so it interoperates across vendors. A subtle difference: VRRP's virtual IP can be the actual address of the Master router, and it preempts by default.
GLBP: redundancy plus load balancing
HSRP and VRRP keep one router active while others sit idle. GLBP (Gateway Load Balancing Protocol) lets multiple routers forward simultaneously — the Active Virtual Gateway hands out different virtual MACs to different hosts, spreading load while still providing failover. That's its headline advantage. All three FHRPs are CCNP infrastructure topics; compare with HSRP.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between VRRP and HSRP?
Both provide gateway redundancy with one active router, but VRRP is an open IETF standard (multi-vendor) while HSRP is Cisco-proprietary.
What makes GLBP different from HSRP and VRRP?
GLBP load-balances traffic across multiple routers simultaneously (active-active), whereas HSRP and VRRP use a single active router at a time.
Are VRRP and GLBP on the CCNP exam?
Yes — first-hop redundancy protocols including HSRP, VRRP and GLBP are part of the CCNP ENCOR infrastructure blueprint.
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