RIP

RIP (Routing Information Protocol) is classified as one of many Internal Gateway Protocols as declared by the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force). When using this protocol, a gateway host with a router transmits a complete routing table to the closet neighboring host every 30 seconds. The neighbor host then passes the data on to the next neighbor and so forth, until all network hosts are able to share knowledge of the routing path. In order to determine network distance, RIP uses what is called a hop count. Other protocols use more advanced algorithms combined with a timing system. RIP has proven to be a quality solution for smaller networks. In larger, more complex networks, an RIP transmission of the complete routing table may place a heavy amount of traffic in the network due to the 30 second timing system. The most commonly used alternative to RIP is the OSPF (Open Shortest Path First Protocol).