Routing Information Protocol (RIP) is used to manage router information in a self-contained network, such as a corporate LAN or a private WAN. With RIP, a gateway host sends its routing table to the closest router each 30 seconds. This router, then sends the contents of its routing tables to neighboring routers.
RIP is best for small networks. This is because the transmission of the full routing table each 30 seconds can put a large traffic load on the network, and because RIP tables are limited to 15 hops. OSPF is a better alternative for larger networks.
For IPv4 routing, there are two versions of RIP, RIP v1 and RIP v2. RIP v1 uses a UDP broadcast over port 520 to send updates to routing tables. RIP v2 uses multicast to send routing table updates. For information about how to configure RIP for IPv4 routing, go to Configure IPv4 Routing with RIP.
For IPv6 routing, use RIPng (next generation). RIPng uses UDP port 521 to send updates to routing tables. For more information about how to configure RIPng for IPv6 routing, go to Configure IPv6 Routing with RIPng.
Routing Engine
Free Range Routing (Fireware v12.9 or Higher)
In Fireware v12.9 or higher, Fireware uses the Free Range Routing (FRR) routing engine, which replaces Quagga. If your configuration includes Quagga commands for dynamic routing, those commands work after you upgrade. Some FRR commands appear in a different section than in Quagga.
For more information about IPv4 routing with RIP, go to:
For more information about IPv6 routing with RIPng, go to:
Quagga (Fireware v12.8.x or Lower)
In Fireware v12.8.x or lower, Fireware uses the Quagga routing software suite v1.2.4, which supports most routing commands available in more recent versions of Quagga.
For more information about IPv4 routing with RIP, go to:
For more information about IPv6 routing with RIPng, go to: