Brocade Multi-Service IronWare Routing Configuration Guide (Supporting R05.6.00) - Manual (Page 344)

316 Multi-Service IronWare Routing Configuration Guide
53-1003033-02
RIP parameters and defaults
A Brocade device can receive multiple paths to a destination. The software evaluates the paths,
selects the best path, and saves the path in the IP route table as the route to the destination.
Typically, the best path is the path with the fewest hops. A hop is another router through which
packets must travel to reach the destination. If the Brocade device receives a RIP update from
another router that contains a path with fewer hops than the path stored in the Brocade device’s
route table, the Brocade device replaces the older route with the newer one. The Brocade device
then includes the new path in the updates it sends to other RIP routers, including Brocade devices.
RIP routers, including the Brocade device, also can modify a route’s cost, generally by adding to it,
to bias the selection of a route for a given destination. In this case, the actual number of router
hops may be the same, but the route has an administratively higher cost and is thus less likely to
be used than other, lower-cost routes.
A RIP route can have a maximum cost of 15. Any destination with a higher cost is considered
unreachable. Although limiting to larger networks, the low maximum hop count prevents endless
loops in the network.
A Brocade device supports the following RIP versions:
• Version 1
• V1 compatible with V2
• Version 2 (the default)
RIP parameters and defaults
The following tables list the RIP parameters, their default values, and where to find configuration
information.
RIP global parameters
Table 52 lists the global RIP parameters and their default values, and indicates where you can find
configuration information.
TABLE 52 RIP global parameters
Parameter Description Default See page...
RIP state The global state of the protocol
NOTE: You also must enable the protocol on
individual interfaces. Globally enabling the
protocol does not allow interfaces to send and
receive RIP information. Refer to
Table 53 on
page 317.
Disabled page 318
Administrative
distance The administrative distance is a numeric value
assigned to each type of route on the Brocade device.
When the Brocade device is selecting from among
multiple routes (sometimes of different origins) to the
same destination, the Brocade device compares the
administrative distances of the routes and selects the
route with the lowest administrative distance. 120 page 319