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Routing Information Protocol
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Routing Information Protocol
In a routed environment, routers communicate with one another to keep track of available routes. Routers
can learn about available routes dynamically, using the Routing Information Protocol (RIP). HP 10GbE
switch software supports RIP version 1 (RIPv1) and RIP version 2 (RIPv2) for exchanging TCP/IP route
information with other routers.
Distance vector protocol
RIP is known as a distance vector protocol. The vector is the network number and next hop, and the
distance is the cost associated with the network number. RIP identifies network reachability based on cost,
and cost is defined as hop count. One hop is considered to be the distance from one switch to the next
which is typically 1. This cost or hop count is known as the metric.
When a switch receives a routing update that contains a new or changed destination network entry, the
switch adds 1 to the metric value indicated in the update and enters the network in the routing table. The
IP address of the sender is used as the next hop.
Stability
RIP includes a number of other stability features that are common to many routing protocols. For example,
RIP implements the split horizon and hold-down mechanisms to prevent incorrect routing information from
being propagated.
RIP prevents routing loops from continuing indefinitely by implementing a limit on the number of hops
allowed in a path from the source to a destination. The maximum number of hops in a path is 15. The
network destination network is considered unreachable if increasing the metric value by 1 causes the
metric to be 16 (that is infinity). This limits the maximum diameter of a RIP network to less than 16 hops.
RIP is often used in stub networks and in small autonomous systems that do not have many redundant
paths.
Routing updates
RIP sends routing-update messages at regular intervals and when the network topology changes. Each
router advertises routing information by sending a routing information update every 30 seconds. If a
router doesn’t receive an update from another router for 180 seconds, those routes provided by that
router are declared invalid. After another 120 seconds without receiving an update for those routes, the
routes are removed from the routing table and respective regular updates.
When a router receives a routing update that includes changes to an entry, it updates its routing table to
reflect the new route. The metric value for the path is increased by 1, and the sender is indicated as the
next hop. RIP routers maintain only the best route (the route with the lowest metric value) to a destination.
For more information see The Configuration Menu, Routing Information Protocol Configuration
(/cfg/l3/rip) in the HP 10Gb Ethernet BL-c Switch Command Reference.