Equal-cost multi-path routing

When we want to send messages or data from one computer to another, we need to decide the best path or route to take. Sometimes, there are multiple paths available, and we want to use them all equally, which is called equal-cost multi-path routing.

Imagine you're trying to go from your house to your friend's house. There are two possible paths to take: one through the park and one through the streets. Your mom says you can take both paths but must divide the time equally between them. This means you spend half the time walking through the park and half the time walking through the streets.

Similarly, in equal-cost multi-path routing, we send messages or data through multiple paths, and we want to use them all equally, dividing them up to ensure we get the best speed and performance. Just like how you divided your time between the park and streets equally, data packets are divided and sent through multiple paths equally, ensuring there's no congestion or overload in a single path.

Equal-cost multi-path routing is commonly used in large computer networks to ensure efficient utilization of network resources and minimize delays in data transmission. By using multiple paths and equally distributing network traffic, we can ensure better network performance, faster data transmission, and more efficient communication.