Count to Infinity

Count to infinity is a problem in computer networking, particularly in distance vector routing. Imagine routers share information about how far they are from each destination. When a link breaks, some routers might temporarily believe a destination is still reachable at an increasing distance, counting up toward infinity, because they rely on neighbor updates that haven't yet recognized the break. This "counting to infinity" causes slow convergence and routing loops, delaying the network’s ability to adapt efficiently. It highlights the challenge of avoiding infinite updates in decentralized systems relying on shared information.