RIP vs OSPF: What Is the Difference?
Dec 15, 20211 min read
Choosing the right routing protocol is critical to your network's performance and scalability. RIP (Routing Information Protocol) has stood the test of time as one of the earliest protocols, while OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) powers most large-scale enterprise networks with speed and precision. In this article, we’ll break down the pros and cons of each and help you make an informed decision with a clear comparison of RIP vs OSPF.
RIP vs OSPF: What Is RIP Protocol in Networking?
RIP (Routing Information Protocol) is an example of distance vector routing for local networks. RIP delivers the whole routing table to all active interfaces every 30 seconds. In the RIP protocol, the hop count is the only metric used to decide the best path to a remote network. Let’s take an example to see how the RIP protocol works: Assuming we have two paths available from the Source to the Destination, path 2 will be selected by the RIP protocol since it has fewer hop counts.
Pros and Cons of RIP Protocol
Pros:
RIP protocol is a great fit for small networks - It’s easy to understand and configure.
RIP routing is guaranteed to support almost all routers.
RIP does not require an update every time the network topology changes.
Cons:
RIP can create a traffic bottleneck as it broadcasts its updates every 30 seconds. Since any routing update in RIP will take up great bandwidth, the resources for critical IT processes are limited.
The hop counts of RIP are limited to 15 hops, so any router beyond that distance is considered infinity, and hence unreachable.
The convergence rate is slow. When any link goes down, it takes a lot of time to choose alternate routes.
RIP doesn’t support multiple paths on the same route, which may generate more routing loops. While using fixed hop count metrics to select the best routes, RIP fails to work when routes are compared based on real-time data. This causes packet loss and overloads network operations due to repeated processes.
RIP vs OSPF: What Is OSPF in Networking?
OSPF (Open Shortest Path First), a link-state routing protocol, is widely adopted in large enterprise networks. OSPF routing protocol collects link-state information from routers in the network and determines the routing table information to forward packets. This occurs by creating a topology map for the network. Unlike RIP, OSPF only exchanges routing information when there’s a change in network topology. OSPF protocol is best suited for complex networks that comprise multiple subnets working to ease network administration and optimize traffic. It effectively calculates the shortest path with minimum network traffic when a change occurs.
Figure: OSPF Design and Terminology
Pros and Cons of OSPF Protocol
Pros:
OSPF routing protocol has complete knowledge of network topology, allowing routers to calculate routes based on incoming requests.
OSPF protocol has no limitations on hop count, unlike RIP protocol, which has only 15 hops at most. So OSPF converges faster than RIP and has better load balancing.
OSPF multicasts link-state updates and sends the updates only when there is a change in the network.
Cons:
OSPF protocol demands advanced knowledge about complex networks, making it not as easy to learn as some other protocols.
OSPF routing doesn’t scale when there are more routers added to the network. The lack of scalability in OSPF protocol makes it unsuitable for routing across the Internet.
OSPF protocol maintains multiple copies of routing information, increasing the amount of memory needed.
RIP vs OSPF: What Is the Difference?
RIP and OSPF are Interior Gateway Protocols where routing information within an autonomous system and RIP vs OSPF differs in many aspects.
Features | RIP Protocol | OSPF Protocol |
Routing Protocol Type | Distance vector routing protocol (uses the distance or hop counts to determine the transmission path) | Link State Routing Protocol (analyzes different sources like the speed, cost, and path congestion while identifying the shortest path) |
Network Table Construction | In RIP, a router requests routing table information from surrounding devices and then merges it into its routing table. The updated routing table is sent to neighboring devices regularly to guarantee that all devices have the latest routing information. | OSPF's routing table construction is more granular. Routers obtain only the necessary information from neighboring devices, rather than requesting the entire routing table. This makes updating its routing table simpler and more efficient. |
Default Metric | Based on hop count | Based on bandwidth |
Hop Count Restriction | RIP protocol allows only up to 15 hops | OSPF protocol has no such restriction |
Administrative Distance | 120 | 110 |
Algorithm Used | RIP uses a distance vector algorithm to select paths. | OSPF utilizes Dijkstra's shortest path algorithm to calculate routes. This makes OSPF the more efficient choice when dealing with complex networks. |
Network Classification | RIP network structure is relatively simple. It is usually divided into areas and tables. | OSPF, however, is more complex and adaptable because it divides the network into areas, sub-areas, autonomous systems, and backbone areas. |
Complexity Level | relatively simpler | much more complex |
Network Application | RIP suits better for smaller networks as it has hop count restrictions | OSPF serves great for larger networks |
Design | Flat network | Hierarchical network possible |
Convergence Time | Slow | Fast |
Device Resource Requirements | Much less memory and CPU intensive than OSPF | Memory and CPU intensive |
Network Resource Requirements | Bandwidth consuming; whole routing table is sent | Less than RIP; only small updates are sent |
Table: Key Differences Between RIP and OSPF
Switches Supporting RIP and OSPF
After comparing RIP vs OSPF differences, it’s clear that RIP protocol is ideal for small networks that are simple and non-hierarchical, whereas OSPF protocol fits best for large and hierarchical enterprise networks. In a complex network, you may have multiple routing protocols operating simultaneously.
RIP and OSPF, two types of dynamic routing protocols, provide increased scalability over static alternatives and the ability to automatically adjust to network topological changes, such as a failed component, rerouting traffic through alternative paths automatically with minimal disruption. If you’re looking for switches supporting RIP and OSPF, FS switches can be your cost-effective choice. FS enterprise switch (e.g., L3 Fully Managed Pro 10G switch) and 10/25G PicOS® data center switches support full IPv4/IPv6 routing, such as RIP/OSPF/BGP/ECMP routing protocols. FS also provides powerful and affordable Gigabit PoE switch, and copper switch to customers worldwide.