Pathvectortyyppinen

Pathvectortyyppinen is an adjective used in Finnish to describe systems, protocols, or data structures that rely on path-vector information to determine routes or relationships. In computer networking, a path-vector type scheme conveys to a destination a representation of the path taken to reach it, typically as an ordered sequence of identifiers such as autonomous system numbers.

Key characteristics include carrying the path history in route updates, using the path to detect and prevent routing loops, and enabling policy-based routing across administrative boundaries. Path-vector designs are intended for scalability in inter-domain environments and allow operators to influence route selection through attributes attached to the path. The approach supports policy enforcement and route aggregation while maintaining a coherent global view of reachability.

A prominent example is the Border Gateway Protocol, commonly described as a path-vector protocol. In BGP, updates carry the AS_PATH attribute, which records the sequence of autonomous systems the route traversed. The specification and practical deployment of BGP-4 formalize path-vector routing for inter-domain routing. This model contrasts with distance-vector protocols that advertise only a metric and with link-state protocols that flood topology information, emphasizing instead the actual route path and associated policies.

Applications of path-vector type protocols include inter-domain routing on the Internet, traffic engineering, and policy-based routing across multiple administrative domains. Limitations can include growth of path information with path length, potential for slower convergence in certain topologies, and increased complexity in policy management. Pathvectortyyppinen thus describes a class of routing methods where maintaining and exchanging path history is central to operation.