What is a routing loop?

A routing loop is characterized by the continuous routing of packets in a circular path. This occurs when two or more routers inadvertently create a situation where packets are unable to reach their intended destination because they keep getting sent back and forth between routers. As a result, the packets loop within a set of routers, consuming network resources and potentially leading to increased latency and network congestion.

In a routing loop, the routing tables of the participating routers might be misconfigured or contain inconsistencies. When a router forwards a packet to another router, and that second router forwards it back to the first, the initial router doesn’t realize that it has already sent the packet, causing it to continue the cycle indefinitely. This is generally harmful to a network's performance and can lead to significant issues if not resolved quickly.

Understanding routing loops is crucial for network routing specialists, as avoiding such paths is vital for maintaining efficient data transmission and network reliability.