RIP - Routing Information Protocol

RIP (Routing Information Protocol) is one of the oldest dynamic routing protocols and relies on the distance-vector algorithm.

Overview

RIP is a simple routing protocol suited to small networks with a predictable topology.

RIP Characteristics

Key parameters:

Distance-vector algorithm (Bellman-Ford)
Metric is hop count (the number of routers to a network)
Maximum of 15 hops (16 = unreachable)
Periodic updates every 30 seconds
Split horizon and poison reverse to prevent loops

Protocol versions:

RIPv1 (RFC 1058) - classful, no VLSM, broadcast updates
RIPv2 (RFC 2453) - classless, VLSM, CIDR, multicast (224.0.0.9), authentication
RIPng (RFC 2080) - for IPv6 networks, multicast (FF02::9)

When to Use RIP

Suitable for:

Small networks (up to 15 routers)
Simple topologies (no redundancy)
Legacy equipment
Training labs
Temporary test networks

Not suitable for:

Large enterprise networks
Networks with redundant paths
High-load networks
Networks that require fast convergence

RIP Limitations

Hop count limit - a maximum of 15 routers
Slow convergence - up to 3 minutes
Periodic updates - generate constant traffic
Simple metric - does not account for bandwidth or latency
No VLSM support in RIPv1

RIPv2 Configuration

VyOS uses RIPv2 by default.

Basic Configuration

Minimal configuration:

set protocols rip interface eth0
set protocols rip interface eth1
set protocols rip network 192.168.1.0/24
set protocols rip network 192.168.2.0/24

commit
save

Network statement:

set protocols rip network 10.0.0.0/8
set protocols rip network 172.16.0.0/12
set protocols rip network 192.168.0.0/16

commit

A network statement includes every interface whose IP falls within the specified networks in the RIP process.

Interface Configuration

Enable RIP on an interface:

set protocols rip interface eth0
set protocols rip interface eth1
commit

Exclude an interface:

delete protocols rip interface eth2
commit

RIP Version

Set the RIP version:

set protocols rip version 2
commit

By default, VyOS uses RIPv2.

Neighbor Configuration

Unicast neighbor (instead of multicast):

set protocols rip neighbor 192.168.1.2
set protocols rip neighbor 192.168.2.2
commit

Useful for:

Point-to-point links
Networks where multicast is unavailable
VPN tunnels

Passive Interface

The interface advertises its network but does not send RIP updates.

Per-interface:

set protocols rip interface eth2 passive
commit

All interfaces passive by default:

set protocols rip passive-interface default
commit

Then activate the ones you need:

set protocols rip passive-interface eth0 disable
set protocols rip passive-interface eth1 disable
commit

Recommendation: Use passive mode for LAN interfaces that have no RIP neighbors.

Authentication

Protection against unauthorized RIP updates.

Plaintext Authentication

Not recommended (the password is sent in cleartext):

set interfaces ethernet eth0 ip rip authentication plaintext-password 'MyPassword'
commit

Use it only for compatibility with legacy devices.

MD5 Authentication

Recommended:

set interfaces ethernet eth0 ip rip authentication md5 1 password 'SecureRIPPassword123!'
commit

The Key ID (1-255) allows a smooth password rotation:

# Old key
set interfaces ethernet eth0 ip rip authentication md5 1 password 'OldPassword'

# Add the new key
set interfaces ethernet eth0 ip rip authentication md5 2 password 'NewPassword'
commit

# After updating all routers, remove the old one
delete interfaces ethernet eth0 ip rip authentication md5 1
commit

Important: Authentication must match on all neighboring routers.

Authentication Example

Router 1:

set interfaces ethernet eth1 ip rip authentication md5 1 password 'RIP-Secure-2024'
commit

Router 2:

set interfaces ethernet eth1 ip rip authentication md5 1 password 'RIP-Secure-2024'
commit

Split Horizon

A mechanism for preventing routing loops.

Default Split Horizon

Enabled by default:

# The router does not advertise routes back through the interface it learned them from

Disable Split Horizon

set interfaces ethernet eth0 ip rip split-horizon disable
commit

When to disable it:

Hub-and-spoke topologies
Frame Relay NBMA networks
Some VPN configurations

Poison Reverse

An aggressive version of split horizon:

set interfaces ethernet eth0 ip rip split-horizon poison-reverse
commit

Advertises routes back with a metric of 16 (unreachable).

When to use it:

Faster convergence on failures
Explicitly signaling that a route is unreachable

Timers

Controlling RIP timers for convergence.

Update Timer

The interval for sending RIP updates:

set protocols rip timers update 30
commit

Default: 30 seconds.

A lower value:

Faster convergence
More traffic
Higher CPU usage

Timeout Timer

The time to wait for an update from a neighbor:

set protocols rip timers timeout 180
commit

Default: 180 seconds (6x the update timer).

After the timeout, the route is marked unreachable (metric 16).

Garbage Collection Timer

The time before an unreachable route is removed:

set protocols rip timers garbage-collection 120
commit

Default: 120 seconds.

Timers Configuration Example

set protocols rip timers update 30
set protocols rip timers timeout 180
set protocols rip timers garbage-collection 120

commit
save

Aggressive timers (for fast convergence):

set protocols rip timers update 10
set protocols rip timers timeout 60
set protocols rip timers garbage-collection 40

commit

Caution: Shorter timers increase the load on the network and the CPU.

Route Redistribution

Importing routes from other sources into RIP.

Redistribute Connected

Advertise directly connected networks:

set protocols rip redistribute connected
commit

With a metric:

set protocols rip redistribute connected metric 2
commit

Redistribute Static

Advertise static routes:

set protocols rip redistribute static
commit

With a metric:

set protocols rip redistribute static metric 3
commit

Redistribute OSPF

Import OSPF routes into RIP:

set protocols rip redistribute ospf
commit

With a metric:

set protocols rip redistribute ospf metric 5
commit

Redistribute BGP

Import BGP routes:

set protocols rip redistribute bgp
commit

Caution: A BGP full table (900K+ routes) is not suitable for RIP (a limit of 15 hops).

Redistribute Kernel

Kernel routes (e.g., from DHCP):

set protocols rip redistribute kernel
commit

Route-map for Selective Redistribution

Create a route-map:

set policy route-map STATIC-TO-RIP rule 10 action permit
set policy route-map STATIC-TO-RIP rule 10 match ip address prefix-list ALLOWED-NETWORKS

set policy prefix-list ALLOWED-NETWORKS rule 10 action permit
set policy prefix-list ALLOWED-NETWORKS rule 10 prefix 192.168.0.0/16 le 24

commit

Apply it to redistribution:

set protocols rip redistribute static route-map STATIC-TO-RIP
commit

Metric for Redistribution

Default: metric 1 (for all redistributed routes).

Set a custom metric:

set protocols rip redistribute connected metric 2
set protocols rip redistribute static metric 3
set protocols rip redistribute ospf metric 5
commit

Default Information Originate

Advertising a default route (0.0.0.0/0) into RIP.

Basic Default Route

set protocols rip default-information originate
commit

Advertises the default route only if it exists in the routing table.

Create a static default route:

set protocols static route 0.0.0.0/0 next-hop 203.0.113.1
commit

Always Originate

Always advertise the default route (even if it is not in the routing table):

set protocols rip default-information originate always
commit

Default Route Example

Internet Gateway Router:

# Static default route to the ISP
set protocols static route 0.0.0.0/0 next-hop 198.51.100.1

# Advertise into RIP
set protocols rip default-information originate

commit
save

Branch routers will receive the default route automatically.

Distance (Administrative Distance)

The priority of RIP routes relative to other protocols.

Default Distance

RIP default distance: 120 (higher than OSPF at 110, lower than eBGP at 20).

Change RIP Distance

set protocols rip distance 130
commit

A lower value means a higher priority:

Connected: 0
Static: 1
eBGP: 20
OSPF: 110
RIP: 120
iBGP: 200

Network-specific Distance

set protocols rip network-distance 192.168.10.0/24 distance 90
commit

Set a custom distance for a specific network.

Distance Example

# Prefer OSPF over RIP
set protocols ospf distance global 110
set protocols rip distance 120

# Except for a specific network - prefer RIP
set protocols rip network-distance 10.10.0.0/16 distance 80

commit

Access List (Distribute List)

Filtering RIP routes.

Inbound Filter

Filter incoming updates:

set policy access-list 10 rule 10 action permit
set policy access-list 10 rule 10 source any
set policy access-list 10 rule 10 destination 192.168.0.0/16

set protocols rip distribute-list interface eth0 access-list in 10

commit

Accept only routes from 192.168.0.0/16.

Outbound Filter

Filter outgoing updates:

set policy access-list 20 rule 10 action deny
set policy access-list 20 rule 10 source any
set policy access-list 20 rule 10 destination 10.0.0.0/8

set policy access-list 20 rule 20 action permit
set policy access-list 20 rule 20 source any
set policy access-list 20 rule 20 destination any

set protocols rip distribute-list interface eth1 access-list out 20

commit

Do not advertise 10.0.0.0/8; advertise everything else.

Prefix-list Filter

More flexible filtering:

set policy prefix-list ALLOWED-IN rule 10 action permit
set policy prefix-list ALLOWED-IN rule 10 prefix 192.168.0.0/16 le 24

set protocols rip distribute-list interface eth0 prefix-list in ALLOWED-IN

commit

Accept 192.168.0.0/16 and all subnets down to /24.

RIPng (IPv6)

RIPng is RIP for IPv6 networks.

RIPng Overview

Characteristics:

Distance-vector for IPv6
Multicast FF02::9
UDP port 521 (vs 520 for RIPv2)
Logic similar to RIPv2
Hop count limit of 15

Usage:

Small IPv6 networks
Legacy IPv6 routing (modern networks use OSPFv3/BGP)

RIPng Basic Configuration

Router 1:

set protocols ripng interface eth0
set protocols ripng interface eth1
set protocols ripng network 2001:db8:1::/64
set protocols ripng network 2001:db8:2::/64

commit
save

Router 2:

set protocols ripng interface eth0
set protocols ripng interface eth2
set protocols ripng network 2001:db8:1::/64
set protocols ripng network 2001:db8:3::/64

commit
save

RIPng Timers

set protocols ripng timers update 30
set protocols ripng timers timeout 180
set protocols ripng timers garbage-collection 120

commit

RIPng Redistribution

Connected networks:

set protocols ripng redistribute connected
commit

Static routes:

set protocols ripng redistribute static
commit

OSPFv3:

set protocols ripng redistribute ospfv3
commit

RIPng Default Route

set protocols ripng default-information originate
commit

RIPng Aggregate Address

Summarizing IPv6 prefixes:

set protocols ripng aggregate-address 2001:db8::/32
commit

RIPng Passive Interface

set protocols ripng interface eth2 passive
commit

RIPng Split Horizon

set interfaces ethernet eth0 ipv6 ripng split-horizon disable
commit

Poison reverse:

set interfaces ethernet eth0 ipv6 ripng split-horizon poison-reverse
commit

Configuration Examples

Simple Two-Router RIP Network

Topology:

[Router1: eth0 192.168.1.1/24] --- [eth1 10.0.0.1/30 - 10.0.0.2/30 eth1] --- [Router2: eth0 192.168.2.1/24]

Router 1:

# Interfaces
set interfaces ethernet eth0 address 192.168.1.1/24
set interfaces ethernet eth1 address 10.0.0.1/30

# RIP
set protocols rip interface eth0
set protocols rip interface eth1

set protocols rip network 192.168.1.0/24
set protocols rip network 10.0.0.0/30

# Authentication
set interfaces ethernet eth1 ip rip authentication md5 1 password 'RipSecure2024!'

# Passive on the LAN
set protocols rip interface eth0 passive

commit
save

Router 2:

# Interfaces
set interfaces ethernet eth0 address 192.168.2.1/24
set interfaces ethernet eth1 address 10.0.0.2/30

# RIP
set protocols rip interface eth0
set protocols rip interface eth1

set protocols rip network 192.168.2.0/24
set protocols rip network 10.0.0.0/30

# Authentication
set interfaces ethernet eth1 ip rip authentication md5 1 password 'RipSecure2024!'

# Passive on the LAN
set protocols rip interface eth0 passive

commit
save

RIP with Default Route

Internet Gateway Router:

# WAN interface
set interfaces ethernet eth0 address dhcp

# LAN interface
set interfaces ethernet eth1 address 192.168.1.1/24

# Static default route
set protocols static route 0.0.0.0/0 dhcp-interface eth0

# RIP
set protocols rip interface eth1
set protocols rip network 192.168.1.0/24

# Originate the default route
set protocols rip default-information originate

# Passive on the LAN
set protocols rip interface eth1 passive

commit
save

Branch Router:

# WAN to the gateway
set interfaces ethernet eth0 address 192.168.1.2/24

# LAN
set interfaces ethernet eth1 address 192.168.10.1/24

# RIP
set protocols rip interface eth0
set protocols rip interface eth1

set protocols rip network 192.168.1.0/24
set protocols rip network 192.168.10.0/24

set protocols rip interface eth1 passive

commit
save

RIP Redistribution Example

Core Router (RIP + OSPF):

# Interfaces
set interfaces ethernet eth0 address 192.168.1.1/24
set interfaces ethernet eth1 address 10.0.0.1/30

# RIP domain
set protocols rip interface eth0
set protocols rip network 192.168.1.0/24

# OSPF domain
set protocols ospf parameters router-id 10.0.0.1
set protocols ospf interface eth1 area 0
set protocols ospf area 0 network 10.0.0.0/30

# Redistribute RIP into OSPF
set protocols ospf redistribute rip metric 100 metric-type 2

# Redistribute OSPF into RIP
set protocols rip redistribute ospf metric 5

commit
save

Caution: Two-way redistribution can create routing loops. Use route-maps.

RIP over VPN (VTI)

Site A:

# VTI tunnel
set interfaces vti vti0 address 172.16.0.1/30

# IPsec VPN (configured separately)

# RIP over VTI
set protocols rip interface vti0
set protocols rip network 172.16.0.0/30
set protocols rip network 192.168.1.0/24

# Authentication
set interfaces vti vti0 ip rip authentication md5 1 password 'VPN-RIP-Pass'

# LAN interface
set interfaces ethernet eth1 address 192.168.1.1/24
set protocols rip interface eth1 passive

commit
save

Site B:

# VTI tunnel
set interfaces vti vti0 address 172.16.0.2/30

# RIP over VTI
set protocols rip interface vti0
set protocols rip network 172.16.0.0/30
set protocols rip network 192.168.2.0/24

# Authentication
set interfaces vti vti0 ip rip authentication md5 1 password 'VPN-RIP-Pass'

# LAN interface
set interfaces ethernet eth1 address 192.168.2.1/24
set protocols rip interface eth1 passive

commit
save

RIP Filtering Example

HQ Router (advertises only internal networks):

# Prefix list for filtering
set policy prefix-list INTERNAL-ONLY rule 10 action permit
set policy prefix-list INTERNAL-ONLY rule 10 prefix 192.168.0.0/16 le 24

set policy prefix-list INTERNAL-ONLY rule 20 action permit
set policy prefix-list INTERNAL-ONLY rule 20 prefix 10.0.0.0/8 le 24

# Apply to RIP outbound
set protocols rip distribute-list interface eth1 prefix-list out INTERNAL-ONLY

# RIP configuration
set protocols rip network 192.168.0.0/16
set protocols rip network 10.0.0.0/8

commit
save

RIPng IPv6 Example

Router 1:

# IPv6 interfaces
set interfaces ethernet eth0 address 2001:db8:1::1/64
set interfaces ethernet eth1 address 2001:db8:100::1/64

# RIPng
set protocols ripng interface eth0
set protocols ripng interface eth1

set protocols ripng network 2001:db8:1::/64
set protocols ripng network 2001:db8:100::/64

# Passive on the LAN
set protocols ripng interface eth0 passive

commit
save

Router 2:

# IPv6 interfaces
set interfaces ethernet eth0 address 2001:db8:2::1/64
set interfaces ethernet eth1 address 2001:db8:100::2/64

# RIPng
set protocols ripng interface eth0
set protocols ripng interface eth1

set protocols ripng network 2001:db8:2::/64
set protocols ripng network 2001:db8:100::/64

# Passive on the LAN
set protocols ripng interface eth0 passive

commit
save

Yandex Cloud Example: Legacy Network Migration

Scenario: Migrating a legacy RIP network into Yandex Cloud with a gradual transition to OSPF.

Topology

Internet
   |
[Yandex Cloud VPC]
   |
[Gateway Router - RIP + OSPF]
   |
+--+----------+----------+
   |          |          |
[Legacy1]  [Legacy2]  [OSPF Zone]
 (RIP)      (RIP)      (OSPF)

Gateway Router Configuration

Gateway Router (dual protocol):

# External interface
set interfaces ethernet eth0 address 10.128.0.10/24
set protocols static route 0.0.0.0/0 next-hop 10.128.0.1

# RIP zone interface
set interfaces ethernet eth1 address 192.168.1.1/24

# OSPF zone interface
set interfaces ethernet eth2 address 10.10.0.1/24

# Loopback
set interfaces loopback lo address 10.255.255.1/32

# RIP configuration
set protocols rip interface eth1
set protocols rip network 192.168.1.0/24

# RIP authentication
set interfaces ethernet eth1 ip rip authentication md5 1 password 'YC-RIP-Legacy2024'

# RIP passive
set protocols rip interface eth1 passive disable

# Default route into RIP
set protocols rip default-information originate

# OSPF configuration
set protocols ospf parameters router-id 10.255.255.1
set protocols ospf interface eth2 area 0
set protocols ospf area 0 network 10.10.0.0/24
set protocols ospf area 0 network 10.255.255.1/32

# OSPF authentication
set protocols ospf interface eth2 authentication md5 key-id 1 md5-key 'YC-OSPF-Secure'

# Redistribute RIP into OSPF (controlled)
set policy prefix-list RIP-TO-OSPF rule 10 action permit
set policy prefix-list RIP-TO-OSPF rule 10 prefix 192.168.0.0/16 le 24

set policy route-map RIP-TO-OSPF rule 10 action permit
set policy route-map RIP-TO-OSPF rule 10 match ip address prefix-list RIP-TO-OSPF

set protocols ospf redistribute rip route-map RIP-TO-OSPF metric 100 metric-type 2

# Redistribute OSPF into RIP (controlled)
set policy prefix-list OSPF-TO-RIP rule 10 action permit
set policy prefix-list OSPF-TO-RIP rule 10 prefix 10.10.0.0/16 le 24

set policy route-map OSPF-TO-RIP rule 10 action permit
set policy route-map OSPF-TO-RIP rule 10 match ip address prefix-list OSPF-TO-RIP

set protocols rip redistribute ospf route-map OSPF-TO-RIP metric 3

commit
save

Legacy RIP Router

Legacy Router (RIP only):

# Management interface (Yandex Cloud)
set interfaces ethernet eth0 address dhcp

# LAN interface
set interfaces ethernet eth1 address 192.168.10.1/24

# Uplink to the Gateway
set interfaces ethernet eth2 address 192.168.1.10/24

# RIP configuration
set protocols rip interface eth2
set protocols rip interface eth1

set protocols rip network 192.168.1.0/24
set protocols rip network 192.168.10.0/24

# Authentication
set interfaces ethernet eth2 ip rip authentication md5 1 password 'YC-RIP-Legacy2024'

# Passive on the LAN
set protocols rip interface eth1 passive

commit
save

Migration Plan

Phase 1: Dual protocol on the Gateway (the current state).

Phase 2: Move the legacy routers one by one:

# On each legacy router
delete protocols rip
set protocols ospf parameters router-id 192.168.10.1
set protocols ospf interface eth2 area 0
set protocols ospf area 0 network 192.168.1.0/24
set protocols ospf interface eth2 authentication md5 key-id 1 md5-key 'YC-OSPF-Secure'
commit

Phase 3: After migrating all routers, remove RIP from the Gateway:

delete protocols rip
delete protocols ospf redistribute rip
commit

VK Cloud Example: Small Office RIP Deployment

Scenario: A simple small-office network on VK Cloud using RIP.

Topology

[VK Cloud VPC 10.0.0.0/16]
          |
    [Main Router]
     10.0.1.1/24
          |
    +-----+-----+
    |           |
[Office1]   [Office2]
10.0.2.1/24  10.0.3.1/24

Main Router Configuration

Main Router:

# Interfaces
set interfaces ethernet eth0 address 10.0.1.1/24
set interfaces ethernet eth1 address 10.0.10.1/30
set interfaces ethernet eth2 address 10.0.10.5/30

# Internet via VK Cloud NAT
set protocols static route 0.0.0.0/0 next-hop 10.0.1.254

# RIP configuration
set protocols rip interface eth1
set protocols rip interface eth2

set protocols rip network 10.0.10.0/30
set protocols rip network 10.0.10.4/30

# Authentication for security
set interfaces ethernet eth1 ip rip authentication md5 1 password 'VKCloud-RIP-2024'
set interfaces ethernet eth2 ip rip authentication md5 1 password 'VKCloud-RIP-2024'

# Default route into RIP for the branch offices
set protocols rip default-information originate

# Timers (aggressive for a small network)
set protocols rip timers update 15
set protocols rip timers timeout 90
set protocols rip timers garbage-collection 60

commit
save

Office Router 1

# Interfaces
set interfaces ethernet eth0 address 10.0.2.1/24
set interfaces ethernet eth1 address 10.0.10.2/30

# RIP
set protocols rip interface eth0
set protocols rip interface eth1

set protocols rip network 10.0.2.0/24
set protocols rip network 10.0.10.0/30

# Authentication
set interfaces ethernet eth1 ip rip authentication md5 1 password 'VKCloud-RIP-2024'

# Passive on the LAN
set protocols rip interface eth0 passive

# Timers (match the main router)
set protocols rip timers update 15
set protocols rip timers timeout 90
set protocols rip timers garbage-collection 60

# NAT for internet access
set nat source rule 100 outbound-interface name eth1
set nat source rule 100 source address 10.0.2.0/24
set nat source rule 100 translation address masquerade

commit
save

Office Router 2

# Interfaces
set interfaces ethernet eth0 address 10.0.3.1/24
set interfaces ethernet eth1 address 10.0.10.6/30

# RIP
set protocols rip interface eth0
set protocols rip interface eth1

set protocols rip network 10.0.3.0/24
set protocols rip network 10.0.10.4/30

# Authentication
set interfaces ethernet eth1 ip rip authentication md5 1 password 'VKCloud-RIP-2024'

# Passive on the LAN
set protocols rip interface eth0 passive

# Timers
set protocols rip timers update 15
set protocols rip timers timeout 90
set protocols rip timers garbage-collection 60

# NAT
set nat source rule 100 outbound-interface name eth1
set nat source rule 100 source address 10.0.3.0/24
set nat source rule 100 translation address masquerade

commit
save

Firewall for RIP

On all routers:

# Allow RIP multicast (224.0.0.9)
set firewall ipv4 input filter rule 100 action accept
set firewall ipv4 input filter rule 100 destination address 224.0.0.9
set firewall ipv4 input filter rule 100 protocol udp
set firewall ipv4 input filter rule 100 destination port 520

# Allow from specific interfaces only
set firewall ipv4 input filter rule 100 inbound-interface interface-name eth1

commit

Verification Commands

Show RIP Status

Overall RIP status:

show ip rip status

Output:

Routing Protocol is "rip"
  Sending updates every 30 seconds with +/-50%, next due in 18 seconds
  Timeout after 180 seconds, garbage collect after 120 seconds
  Outgoing update filter list for all interfaces is not set
  Incoming update filter list for all interfaces is not set
  Default redistribution metric is 1
  Redistributing: connected, static
  Default version control: send version 2, receive version 2
  Interface        Send  Recv  Key-chain
  eth0              2     2
  eth1              2     2
  Routing for Networks:
    192.168.1.0/24
    192.168.2.0/24
    10.0.0.0/8
  Routing Information Sources:
    Gateway          BadPackets BadRoutes  Distance Last Update
    192.168.1.2             0         0       120   00:00:05
  Distance: (default is 120)

Show RIP Routes

RIP routing table:

show ip rip

Output:

Codes: R - RIP, C - connected, S - Static, O - OSPF, B - BGP
       > - selected route, * - FIB route

R>* 192.168.2.0/24 [120/1] via 192.168.1.2, eth0, 00:00:15
R>* 192.168.3.0/24 [120/2] via 192.168.1.2, eth0, 00:00:15
R>* 10.10.0.0/24 [120/1] via 192.168.1.2, eth0, 00:00:15

Show RIP Database

RIP database entries:

show ip protocols

Information about all routing protocols, including RIP.

Show IP Route

All routes (including RIP):

show ip route

RIP routes only:

show ip route rip

Output:

Codes: K - kernel route, C - connected, S - static, R - RIP,
       O - OSPF, I - IS-IS, B - BGP, E - EIGRP, N - NHRP,
       T - Table, v - VNC, V - VNC-Direct, A - Babel, D - SHARP,
       F - PBR, f - OpenFabric,
       > - selected route, * - FIB route, q - queued, r - rejected, b - backup

R>* 192.168.2.0/24 [120/1] via 192.168.1.2, eth0, weight 1, 00:02:15
R>* 192.168.3.0/24 [120/2] via 192.168.1.2, eth0, weight 1, 00:02:15

Show RIP Interface

RIP on the interfaces:

show ip rip interface

Debug RIP

Enable RIP debugging:

monitor protocol rip

RIP packet debug:

debug rip packet

RIP events:

debug rip events

Stop debugging:

no debug rip all

Clear RIP Routes

Clear the RIP process (restart):

restart rip

Removes all learned routes and restarts the RIP process.

Troubleshooting

RIP Neighbors Not Visible

Check 1 - Connectivity:

ping <neighbor-ip>

Check 2 - The RIP process is active:

show ip rip status

Check 3 - Network statements:

show configuration protocols rip

Make sure the interfaces are included in RIP:

set protocols rip interface eth0
set protocols rip network 192.168.1.0/24

Check 4 - Authentication:

show configuration interfaces ethernet eth0 ip rip authentication

Authentication must match on both routers.

Check 5 - Firewall:

# Allow RIP (UDP 520)
set firewall ipv4 input filter rule 100 action accept
set firewall ipv4 input filter rule 100 destination address 224.0.0.9
set firewall ipv4 input filter rule 100 protocol udp
set firewall ipv4 input filter rule 100 destination port 520
commit

Check 6 - Multicast:

tcpdump -i eth0 -n 'udp port 520'

You should see RIP updates every 30 seconds.

Routes Not Appearing

Check 1 - RIP database:

show ip rip

Is the route in RIP but not in the routing table?

Check 2 - Administrative Distance:

show ip route <network>

Another protocol (OSPF, static) may have a better distance.

Check 3 - Hop count:

show ip rip

If the metric is 16, the route is unreachable (too far away).

Check 4 - Split horizon:

set interfaces ethernet eth0 ip rip split-horizon disable
commit

Try disabling split horizon (for hub-and-spoke).

Check 5 - Distribute list:

show configuration protocols rip distribute-list

A route filter may be blocking the route.

Slow Convergence

RIP convergence is slow (up to 3 minutes).

Solution 1 - Aggressive timers:

set protocols rip timers update 10
set protocols rip timers timeout 60
set protocols rip timers garbage-collection 40
commit

Caution: This increases the load on the network.

Solution 2 - Poison reverse:

set interfaces ethernet eth0 ip rip split-horizon poison-reverse
commit

Solution 3 - Migrate to OSPF:

RIP is not suitable for networks that require fast convergence. Use OSPF.

Authentication Failures

Check 1 - Logs:

show log | grep RIP

Look for “authentication failed” messages.

Check 2 - Passwords match:

# Router 1
show configuration interfaces ethernet eth0 ip rip authentication

# Router 2
show configuration interfaces ethernet eth0 ip rip authentication

The passwords and key-id must match.

Check 3 - Key rotation:

If you are changing passwords, add the new key ID before removing the old one:

# Add the new one
set interfaces ethernet eth0 ip rip authentication md5 2 password 'NewPassword'
commit

# After updating all routers, remove the old one
delete interfaces ethernet eth0 ip rip authentication md5 1
commit

Routing Loops

Problem: Packets circle between the routers.

Solution 1 - Split horizon:

# Make sure split horizon is enabled (the default)
delete interfaces ethernet eth0 ip rip split-horizon disable
commit

Solution 2 - Maximum hop count:

RIP automatically limits loops through the hop count (max 15).

Solution 3 - Administrative distance:

If you use redistribution between RIP and other protocols:

set protocols rip distance 120
set protocols ospf distance global 110
commit

High Network Traffic

RIP generates constant traffic (updates every 30 seconds).

Solution 1 - Passive interfaces:

set protocols rip interface eth2 passive
commit

Solution 2 - Unicast neighbors:

set protocols rip neighbor 192.168.1.2
delete protocols rip interface eth0
commit

Solution 3 - Increase the update interval:

set protocols rip timers update 60
commit

Caution: This slows convergence.

Solution 4 - Migrate to OSPF:

OSPF uses triggered updates instead of periodic ones.

Best Practices

General Recommendations

Use RIPv2 (not RIPv1):
```
set protocols rip version 2
```

MD5 Authentication on all interfaces:

set interfaces ethernet eth0 ip rip authentication md5 1 password 'StrongPassword'

Passive interfaces for the LAN:

set protocols rip interface eth1 passive

Limit the network size - a maximum of 10-15 routers

Use a default route on branch routers:

set protocols rip default-information originate

Filter redistributed routes:

set protocols rip redistribute connected route-map CONNECTED-FILTER

Monitor the hop count - do not let it get close to 15
Document the network topology - RIP has no database visibility
Plan a migration to OSPF for growing networks
Regular backups of the configuration

Security Best Practices

Always use MD5 authentication:

set interfaces ethernet eth0 ip rip authentication md5 1 password 'Secure123!'

Passive interfaces by default:

set protocols rip passive-interface default
set protocols rip passive-interface eth0 disable

Firewall for RIP:

set firewall ipv4 input filter rule 100 action accept
set firewall ipv4 input filter rule 100 source address 192.168.1.0/24
set firewall ipv4 input filter rule 100 destination address 224.0.0.9
set firewall ipv4 input filter rule 100 protocol udp
set firewall ipv4 input filter rule 100 destination port 520

Filter redistributed routes:

set protocols rip distribute-list interface eth0 prefix-list ALLOWED-OUT out

Limit the network statements - only the networks you need

Performance Best Practices

Default timers for most cases:

set protocols rip timers update 30
set protocols rip timers timeout 180
set protocols rip timers garbage-collection 120

Poison reverse for faster convergence:

set interfaces ethernet eth0 ip rip split-horizon poison-reverse

Summarization where possible (although RIPv2 has no explicit summarization)
Unicast neighbors for reducing multicast:
```
set protocols rip neighbor 192.168.1.2
```
Monitor the metrics:
```
show ip rip
```

Migration Best Practices

From RIP to OSPF:

Dual protocol phase:

# Keep RIP running
set protocols rip network 192.168.0.0/16

# Add OSPF
set protocols ospf parameters router-id 10.0.0.1
set protocols ospf area 0 network 10.0.0.0/8

# Redistribute both ways (temporary)
set protocols rip redistribute ospf metric 5
set protocols ospf redistribute rip metric 100

Migrate the routers one by one

Remove RIP after all are migrated:

delete protocols rip
delete protocols ospf redistribute rip

From RIP to static routes (small networks):

Document the current RIP routes:
```
show ip rip
```

Create static routes:

set protocols static route 192.168.2.0/24 next-hop 192.168.1.2

Disable RIP:
```
delete protocols rip
```

When to Migrate from RIP

Signs You Need OSPF/BGP

Network growth - more than 10 routers
Slow convergence - unacceptable downtime
Multiple paths - need load balancing
VLSMs required - complex subnetting
Hop count limit - hitting 15 hop barrier
High bandwidth links - need better metrics
Large routing tables - RIP updates too big
Require fast failover - seconds not minutes
Integration with ISP - need BGP
Security requirements - need better authentication

Migration Path

Small networks (2-5 routers):

RIP → Static Routes

Medium networks (5-20 routers):

RIP → OSPF (single area)

Large networks (20+ routers):

RIP → OSPF (multi-area) → BGP for external

Cloud deployments:

RIP → Cloud-native routing (VPC routing tables + BGP)

Comparison with Other Protocols

RIP vs OSPF

Feature	RIP	OSPF
Algorithm	Distance-vector	Link-state
Metric	Hop count	Cost (bandwidth)
Max hops	15	No limit
Convergence	Slow (minutes)	Fast (seconds)
Scalability	Small (10-15)	Large (100+)
CPU usage	Low	Medium
Configuration	Simple	Complex
Updates	Periodic (30s)	Triggered
VLSM	RIPv2 yes	Yes
Areas	No	Yes

Recommendation: Use OSPF for any network with more than 10 routers.

RIP vs BGP

RIP is an Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP) for internal routing.

BGP is an Exterior Gateway Protocol (EGP) for inter-AS routing.

Use case:

RIP - small internal networks
BGP - ISP connectivity, multi-homed networks

RIP vs Static Routes

Feature	RIP	Static Routes
Configuration	Automatic	Manual
Failover	Automatic	Manual or with tracking
Scalability	Low	Very low
Convergence	Slow	Instant (if tracked)
Maintenance	Low	High

When to use static:

2-3 routers
No redundancy needed
Predictable topology

When to use RIP:

5-15 routers
Some redundancy
Simple failover needed

Summary

RIP Summary:

Simple distance-vector protocol
Suitable for small networks (5-15 routers)
Maximum 15 hops
Slow convergence (minutes)
Use RIPv2 with MD5 authentication
Passive interfaces on LAN
Plan migration to OSPF as network grows

Key Commands:

# Enable RIP
set protocols rip interface <interface>
set protocols rip network <network>

# Authentication
set interfaces ethernet <int> ip rip authentication md5 <id> password '<pass>'

# Passive interface
set protocols rip interface <int> passive

# Default route
set protocols rip default-information originate

# Verification
show ip rip
show ip rip status
show ip route rip

Migration Path:

Small network: RIP → Static Routes
Growing network: RIP → OSPF
Large network: RIP → OSPF + BGP

Next Steps

OSPF Configuration - for growing networks
BGP Configuration - for ISP connectivity
Static Routes - basic routing
Policy Routing - route-maps and filtering

Reviewed by OpenNix LLC · Last updated on 29 July 2026

Static Routing (Static Routes)OSPF (Open Shortest Path First)