Hot Standby Router Protocol

What Does Hot Standby Router Protocol Mean?

Hot Standby Router Protocol (HSRP) is a redundancy routing protocol that establishes default fault tolerance and a framework for primary network gateway failover. HSRP is designed for multiaccess or broadcast local area networks (LAN) and supports non-disruptive Internet Protocol traffic inaccessibility.

HSRP is defined as RFC 2281.

Techopedia Explains Hot Standby Router Protocol

HSRP features include:

  • Consistent IP routing protocol sets
  • Works in a bridging environment
  • Automatically self-updates when media access control (MAC) addresses are modified
  • High-priority HSRPs are virtual (or active) routers with predefined gateway IP addresses
  • HSRP groups or standby groups are HSRP router sets coordinated as illusory single active routers
  • HSRP group routers have universal IP and MAC addresses.
  • The virtual IP address for an HSRP group is the primary IP address LAN subnet and differs from other allocated interface addresses.

HSRP and active routers transmit messages on a periodic basis upon completion of protocol election. When an HSRP router fails or becomes an active router, the next standby router is selected to handle packet-forwarding duties. The active router then accepts and forwards traffic to the group’s virtual MAC address. When the active router leaves the LAN state, packet forwarding ends.

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Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…