What is route summarization?

Route summarization refers to the technique of consolidating multiple, more specific routes into a single, broader route, known as a summary route. This process is beneficial in reducing the size of the routing table and optimizing the routing process within a network. By summarizing routes, network devices can handle routing information more efficiently, thus improving overall performance and resource utilization.

When multiple specific routes point to contiguous address ranges, these can be represented in a single route entry. For example, if a network has routes for the addresses 192.168.1.0/24, 192.168.2.0/24, and 192.168.3.0/24, these can be summarized into a single route such as 192.168.0.0/22. This not only reduces the number of entries in the routing table but also minimizes the amount of routing protocol traffic necessary to maintain and update the common routing information across the network.

In this scenario, the other options do not accurately capture the essence of route summarization. Creating more routes contradicts the purpose of summarization. Deleting unnecessary routes may help manage a routing table but does not involve consolidating routes. Assigning static routes is a different concept, focusing on manually