# EIGRP Variance Command Example
**URL:** https://forum.networklessons.com/t/eigrp-variance-command-example/1037
**Category:** Lessons Discussion
**Created:** [December 26, 2016, 6:44pm UTC](https://forum.networklessons.com/t/eigrp-variance-command-example/1037 "2016-12-26T18:44:41Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@ReneMolenaar](https://forum.networklessons.com/u/ReneMolenaar)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2016, 6:44pm UTC](https://forum.networklessons.com/t/eigrp-variance-command-example/1037/1 "2016-12-26T18:44:41Z")
This topic is to discuss the following lesson:
> **[EIGRP Variance Command Example](https://networklessons.com/eigrp/eigrp-variance-command-example)**
>
> This lesson demonstrates the EIGRP Variance command to enable load balancing over feasible successors.
---
### Author:  [@system](https://forum.networklessons.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2013, 6:54am UTC](https://forum.networklessons.com/t/eigrp-variance-command-example/1037/2 "2013-09-11T06:54:04Z")
Great work. Keep it up …!!!
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### Author:  [@system](https://forum.networklessons.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2014, 8:39pm UTC](https://forum.networklessons.com/t/eigrp-variance-command-example/1037/3 "2014-01-25T20:39:11Z")
thnks…very very good explanation
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### Author:  [@system](https://forum.networklessons.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [July 18, 2014, 7:05am UTC](https://forum.networklessons.com/t/eigrp-variance-command-example/1037/4 "2014-07-18T07:05:29Z")
Ultimate …awesome explanation
Thank you so much for this great blog
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### Author:  [@system](https://forum.networklessons.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2014, 11:13am UTC](https://forum.networklessons.com/t/eigrp-variance-command-example/1037/5 "2014-09-24T11:13:44Z")
Good Job…
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### Author:  [@johnfrades](https://forum.networklessons.com/u/johnfrades)
#### Post date: [July 29, 2015, 10:07am UTC](https://forum.networklessons.com/t/eigrp-variance-command-example/1037/6 "2015-07-29T10:07:19Z")
very precise explanation.
Thanks rene!
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### Author:  [@iamhere64](https://forum.networklessons.com/u/iamhere64)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2015, 1:48am UTC](https://forum.networklessons.com/t/eigrp-variance-command-example/1037/7 "2015-08-15T01:48:31Z")
thank Rene! finally understand this Cisco stuffs!
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### Author:  [@talk2seeni](https://forum.networklessons.com/u/talk2seeni)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2015, 3:28pm UTC](https://forum.networklessons.com/t/eigrp-variance-command-example/1037/8 "2015-09-27T15:28:15Z")
Hi Rene,
What is the default behavior of load balancing ? per packet towards destination?
Please explain if there is any command to configure the load balancing method .
Thanks and Regards,
SV
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### Author:  [@ReneMolenaar](https://forum.networklessons.com/u/ReneMolenaar)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2015, 11:48am UTC](https://forum.networklessons.com/t/eigrp-variance-command-example/1037/9 "2015-09-28T11:48:23Z")
Hi SV,
The default of CEF is “per destination” load balancing. You can see it with the show ip cef command. It can be changed on the interface level:
```
R1(config)#interface FastEthernet 0/0
R1(config-if)#ip load-sharing ?
per-destination Deterministic distribution
per-packet Random distribution
```
Rene
---
### Author:  [@talk2seeni](https://forum.networklessons.com/u/talk2seeni)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2015, 1:31pm UTC](https://forum.networklessons.com/t/eigrp-variance-command-example/1037/10 "2015-09-28T13:31:10Z")
Hi Rene,
Why it is under interface mode ?
What if some interface having default sharing mode and some other having per-packet toward destination?
what is the behavior ? Sorry for getting into the deep. Please point me if you have some links explains more about these load sharing.
Thanks,
SV
---
### Author:  [@ReneMolenaar](https://forum.networklessons.com/u/ReneMolenaar)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2015, 1:36pm UTC](https://forum.networklessons.com/t/eigrp-variance-command-example/1037/11 "2015-09-28T13:36:06Z")
Hi SV,
It might be interesting to read up on CEF:
> **[CEF (Cisco Express Forwarding)](https://networklessons.com/switching/cef-cisco-express-forwarding)**
>
> CEF is used on Cisco devices to ensure packets can be forwarded without any noticable delays. In this lesson you will learn how CEF works.
Since it’s on the interface, you have the flexibility to change the load balancing per interface…not globally. You can use different load balancing for each interface.
Rene
---
### Author:  [@talk2seeni](https://forum.networklessons.com/u/talk2seeni)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2015, 2:29pm UTC](https://forum.networklessons.com/t/eigrp-variance-command-example/1037/12 "2015-09-28T14:29:23Z")
Yes. Your are correct. Thanks Rene.
Regards,
SV
---
### Author:  [@navinyolmo](https://forum.networklessons.com/u/navinyolmo)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2015, 8:44pm UTC](https://forum.networklessons.com/t/eigrp-variance-command-example/1037/13 "2015-10-15T20:44:21Z")
You are the best. Whao..
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### Author:  [@akuehermann](https://forum.networklessons.com/u/akuehermann)
#### Post date: [November 8, 2015, 1:28am UTC](https://forum.networklessons.com/t/eigrp-variance-command-example/1037/14 "2015-11-08T01:28:23Z")
Good tutorial. Well explained
---
### Author:  [@idwiz](https://forum.networklessons.com/u/idwiz)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2016, 10:16pm UTC](https://forum.networklessons.com/t/eigrp-variance-command-example/1037/15 "2016-02-09T22:16:37Z")
Thank you so much for this simple and clear explanations.
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### Author:  [@nnmore](https://forum.networklessons.com/u/nnmore)
#### Post date: [March 8, 2016, 1:02am UTC](https://forum.networklessons.com/t/eigrp-variance-command-example/1037/16 "2016-03-08T01:02:08Z")
Do we need to apply the “traffic-share balanced” command if we expect smart load balancing or it is configured as such by default ???
---
### Author:  [@ReneMolenaar](https://forum.networklessons.com/u/ReneMolenaar)
#### Post date: [March 8, 2016, 9:47am UTC](https://forum.networklessons.com/t/eigrp-variance-command-example/1037/17 "2016-03-08T09:47:59Z")
Hi Nikhil,
traffic-share balanced is enabled by default for EIGRP so it doesn’t show up in the running-config normally. Take a look below:
```auto
Router#show run | begin router eigrp
router eigrp 1
network 192.168.1.0
```
```auto
Router#show run all | begin router eigrp
router eigrp 1
timers active-time 3
timers graceful-restart purge-time 240
metric maximum-hops 100
metric weights 0 1 0 1 0 0
traffic-share balanced
variance 1
network 192.168.1.0
distance eigrp 90 170
no auto-summary
no passive-interface default
eigrp log-neighbor-changes
eigrp log-neighbor-warnings 10
eigrp event-log-size 500
no shutdown
```
You can see it in the output of “show run all”.
Rene
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### Author:  [@nnmore](https://forum.networklessons.com/u/nnmore)
#### Post date: [March 8, 2016, 5:34pm UTC](https://forum.networklessons.com/t/eigrp-variance-command-example/1037/18 "2016-03-08T17:34:33Z")
Thanks Rene !
---
### Author:  [@qatarhousing1](https://forum.networklessons.com/u/qatarhousing1)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2016, 1:07am UTC](https://forum.networklessons.com/t/eigrp-variance-command-example/1037/19 "2016-05-24T01:07:11Z")
Hi Rene
Thank you so much for this great blog
I have a one question pls. variance command is used twice on R1 as 3 and 15. Can you please explain how it detect to use which for which route.
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### Author:  [@andrew](https://forum.networklessons.com/u/andrew)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2016, 1:28am UTC](https://forum.networklessons.com/t/eigrp-variance-command-example/1037/20 "2016-05-24T01:28:11Z")
Farooq,
The variance setting affects the entire EIGRP routing process. It can’t be set on a per-route basis. In the Lesson, Rene changes it from 3 to 15 to show you an example of what happens when the variance increases. It is not meant to be a concurrent configuration. When the second command is issued to change the variance to 15, it is replacing the previous value of 3.
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