CEF Load Balancing Algorithms

CEF supports two load-balancing algorithms. You can configure these with the ip cef load-sharing algorithm command on Cisco IOS devices.

Original

The original load-balancing algorithm uses source and destination addresses. This can be an issue when all devices in the network use this algorithm. You can read more about it in the CEF polarization lesson.

Universal

The universal algorithm uses multiple items as input:

• Source IP
• Destination IP
• L3 Protocol
• L4 Source Port
• L4 Destination Port
• IPv6 Flow Label