Asymmetric routing is a network traffic flow in which the outgoing and incoming traffic for a communication session takes different paths through the network.
In a typical network, traffic flows from a source device to a destination device through a specific path, and the response traffic flows back through the same path. However, in an asymmetric routing scenario, the response traffic takes a different path, which can lead to issues like packet loss, connectivity problems, and performance degradation.
Asymmetric routing can occur in various situations, such as when there are multiple routes available between two endpoints, and different paths are selected based on various factors like load balancing or link availability. It can also occur when there are different network providers or autonomous systems involved, and traffic takes different paths based on routing policies or network congestion.
Asymmetric routing can cause issues like dropped packets, out-of-order packets, and delayed or lost responses, which can affect the overall network performance and user experience. Network administrators can use various techniques like policy-based routing, source-based routing, and flow-based routing to manage asymmetric routing and optimize network performance.