|  | 11.2 | Why Routing Protocols are Necessary
| 11.2.4 |
Why dynamic routing is necessary
The network shown in the Figure adapts differently to topology changes depending on whether it uses statically or dynamically configured routing information. Static routing allows routers to properly route a packet from network to network based on configured information. The router refers to its routing table and follows the static knowledge residing there to relay the packet to Router D. Router D does the same, and relays the packet to Router C. Router C delivers the packet to the destination host. If the path between Router A and Router D fails, Router A will not be able to relay the packet to Router D using that static route. Until Router A is manually reconfigured to relay packets by way of Router B, communication with the destination network is impossible. Dynamic routing offers more flexibility. According to the routing table generated by Router A, a packet can reach its destination over the preferred route through Router D. However, a second path to the destination is available by way of Router B. When Router A recognizes that the link to Router D is down, it adjusts its routing table, making the path through Router B the preferred path to the destination. The routers continue sending packets over this link. When the path between Routers A and D is restored to service, Router A can once again change its routing table to indicate a preference for the counterclockwise path through Routers D and C to the destination network. Dynamic routing protocols can also direct traffic from the same session over different paths in a network for better performance. This is known as loadsharing.