Which Router Is HSRP Active?

About this interactive

From the lesson: - **Election:** the highest priority becomes active (range 0 to 255, default 100). If priorities tie, the highest IP address wins. - **Preempt** is off by default. Without it, an active router keeps its role even when a higher-priority router comes up. With preempt on the higher-priority router, it takes the role back. - **Hellos and hold time:** hellos every 3 seconds; if none arrive for 10 seconds the standby takes over. Lower timers fail over faster but risk false failovers. - **States:** initial, learn, listen, speak, standby, active. The video says to put preempt on the router you want as standby; it belongs on the higher-priority router, the one that should take the active role back.

What you'll learn

Predict which HSRP router is active from priority (highest wins, default 100), the IP address as the tiebreaker, preempt, and failures
Explain that without preempt an active router keeps its role when a higher-priority router comes up, and how the default hello and hold timers trigger failover

Aligned to

Cisco CCNA

3.5 Describe the purpose, functions, and concepts of first hop redundancy protocols

Key terms

Hot Standby Router Protocol: A Cisco proprietary FHRP where a group of routers share a virtual IP address and MAC address, with one active router forwarding traffic while standby routers monitor and take over if the active router fails. HSRP provides transparent default gateway redundancy for end hosts without requiring any client-side configuration.
Preempt: An HSRP configuration option that allows a higher-priority router to reclaim the active role automatically when it comes back online after a failure.
Virtual IP Address: A shared IP address used by HSRP group members that endpoints use as their default gateway, allowing traffic to continue flowing if the active router fails.
First Hop Redundancy Protocol: A category of protocols that provide default gateway redundancy by allowing multiple routers to share a single virtual IP address. If the active gateway fails, another router in the FHRP group takes over transparently without requiring client reconfiguration; examples include HSRP, VRRP, and GLBP.

Topics

Hsrp Fhrp Hsrp Priority Preempt Interactive Streak Sort

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