Exam 300-420 Topic 5 Question 123 Discussion

Route summarization should be planned from the aggregation layer toward both the core and the access layer.
In hierarchical campus routing, aggregation or distribution devices are natural summarization boundaries because they sit between more specific access-layer networks and the core. Summarizing from aggregation toward the core prevents access-layer subnet churn from forcing unnecessary recomputation and route table growth in the core. Summarizing from aggregation toward access can also provide a concise upstream route, often a default or summary route, so access devices do not need the entire network routing table. The goal is to contain failures, reduce routing state, and preserve fast convergence at hierarchy boundaries. Summarizing from the core toward aggregation may hide useful topology details in the wrong direction, while summarizing directly from access toward aggregation is not always possible or efficient when access devices are numerous and have limited resources. The answer that places summarization at aggregation in both directions best matches Cisco hierarchical design principles. Reference topics: hierarchical campus design, route summarization, aggregation layer, core route scale, convergence containment.