Routing Via Unicast

At its most basic form, unicast is simply communication between a single client and a single server.

With IP unicast routing, only one location services the IP address associated with a given network service. Because only one name server and one instance of the associated IP address exists in the global routing system, the routing system and network data path are less complex than an anycast system.

Because unicast is less complex, routing errors and other conflicts that interfere with DNS resolution reliability are less likely, and operators can more easily detect data path aberrations when they do occur. In addition, unicast configurations help minimize localized or regional transient network or routing system conditions that may affect system availability. For these reasons, unicast is ideal for situations that require high availability. On the other hand, transaction latency for a widely distributed set of clients may increase because only one server in one physical location is available for service distribution.

Unicast Benefits and Challenges