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Flooding in Computer Networks

In computer networks, flooding is an easy and straightforward routing technique in which the source or node sends packets over each of the outgoing links. Flooding is a very simple routing algorithm that sends all the packets arriving via each outgoing link. Flooding is used in computer networking routing algorithms where each incoming packet is transmitted through every outgoing link, except for the one on which it arrived. Flooding algorithms are guaranteed to find and exploit the shortest paths to the sent packets, as floods use each route in a network naturally.

Table of Contents

The Concept of Flooding in Computer Networks

Data packets do not contain network routing information at first. To monitor network topology, or traverse network routes, a hop count algorithm is used. A packet attempts to access all possible network pathways before arriving at its destination; however, packet replication is always a possibility. To avoid communication delay and duplication, a hop count and various selective flooding methods are employed.

Flooding can also be used as a denial of service attack to take down a network service by flooding network traffic. Many unfinished server requests have been sent to the service. The server or host is unable to process real requests at the same time due to the high volume of flooded queries. A flooding attack occupies the host memory buffer, making it impossible to make new connections, resulting in a denial of service.

Types of Network Flooding

Controlled flooding, uncontrolled flooding, and selective flooding are the three popular types of network flooding.

  • Controlled Flooding: They employ a number of techniques to manage packet transport to neighbouring nodes. Two algorithms are employed in controlled flooding to ensure that the flooding is confined, and they are Sequence Number Controlled Flooding and Reverse Path Forwarding.
  • Uncontrolled Flooding: Each router transmits all incoming data packets to all of its neighbours indiscriminately.
  • Selective Flooding: Instead of transmitting incoming packets down all possible paths, the routers only transmit them along those paths that are headed roughly in the appropriate direction.

Advantages of Flooding Technique

  • The benefit of this technique is it is very easy to implement. If the packet is able to be delivered, it will be delivered (probably more than once), and since flooding naturally uses every path through the network, the shortest path will also be used.
  • It’s highly durable. Even if a high number of routers fail, the packets find a way to get to their destination.
  • All nodes that are connected to each other, whether directly or indirectly, are visited. As a result, there is no way for any node to be missed. In the case of messaging, this is an important criterion.
  • Flooding always chooses the shortest course.

Limitations of Flooding

  • Unless some efforts are taken to limit packet creation, flooding helps to generate an unlimited number of duplicate data packets.
  • If only one destination requires the packet, it is inefficient since it sends the data packet to all nodes, regardless of the destination.
  • Unauthorised and repetitive data packets could jam the network. Other data packets may be hampered as a result.

Frequently Asked Questions on Flooding in Computer Network

Q1

What is the flooding routing algorithm?

Flooding happens in a computer network whenever a router utilises a nonadaptive routing method to broadcast an incoming packet to all outgoing links except the node from which it originated. Flooding is a method of rapidly distributing routing protocol upgrades to all nodes in a large network.

Q2

How does selective flooding work?

Selective flooding, a type of flooding that only sends packets to routers in the same direction, addresses some of these concerns. When routers use selective flooding, they don’t send every incoming packet on every line, even on those heading in the proper direction.

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