Overview
Routing Information Protocol (RIP) is one of the oldest distance-vector routing protocols. It is simple to configure but has significant limitations in modern, large-scale networks.
Key Characteristics
- Metric: Hop count (maximum of 15 hops; 16 is considered unreachable).
- Updates: Sends its full routing table every 30 seconds.
- Versions:
- RIPv1: Classful routing (no subnet mask info).
- RIPv2: Classless routing (supports VLSM and CIDR).
- RIPng: RIP for IPv6.
Limitations
- Slow convergence.
- Limited hop count makes it unsuitable for large networks.
- High bandwidth consumption due to periodic full-table updates.