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Routing Information Protocol (RIP)
The Routing Information Protocol (RIP) in the TCP/IP suite is not the same protocol as RIP in the NetWare suite, although the two serve similar functions. Internet RIP performs route discovery by using a distance-vector method, calculating the number of hops that must be crossed to route a packet by a particular path.

Although it works well in localized networks, RIP presents many weaknesses that limit its utility on wide-area internetworks. RIP’s distance-vector route discovery method, for example, requires more broadcasts and thus causes more network traffic than some other methods. The OSPF protocol, which uses the link-state route discovery method, is gradually replacing RIP. (See Chapter 6, “Connectivity Devices,” for more on routing.)