This will be a dynamic document to document all the scenarios where it’s not clear which is better; A higher value or a lower value?
I have noticed that as a general rule; For layer 2 technologies a lower value is preferred and for layer 3 a higher value is prefered. The purpose of this post is to keep a list so I can see if this rule holds out or is proven wrong on some occasions.
Cisco
| Value | Default Value | Preferred value |
| HSRP Priority | 100 | Higher |
| BGP Local-preference | 100 | Higher |
| BGP Weight (Cisco) | 0 | Higher |
| BGP MED | 0 | Lower |
| Spanning-tree bridge ID | 32768 | Lower |
| Router ID auto selection | IP Address1 | Higher |
1The highest active configured IP on a loopback is preferred. If there are no lookbacks then the highest IP address on an active interface is chosen next.
Palo Alto
| Value | Default Value | Preferred value |
| HA Device Priority | 100 | Lower2 |
2The palo alto documentation covers this is a very confusing manner. It states that the device with the highest device priority is chosen as the active. It goes on to say that a lower integer value means the device has a higher priority.
