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Configuring the Routing Information Protocol
The Neobit 1012VAcan be configured to communicate with other
routing devices to determine the best path for sending data to its
intended destination. Routing devices communicate this information
using a variety of IP protocols. This chapter describes how to
configure the Neobit 1012VAto use one of these, called the Routing
Information Protocol (RIP).
RIP Overview
RIP is an Internet protocol you can set up to share routing table
information with other routing devices on your LAN, at your ISP’s
location, or on remote networks connected to your network via the
ADSL line. Generally, RIP is used to enable communication on
autonomous
networks. An autonomous network is one in which all
of the computers are administered by the same entity. An
autonomous network may be a single network, or a grouping of
several networks under the same administration. An example of an
autonomous network is a corporate LAN, including devices that can
access it from remote locations, such as the computers
telecommuters use.
Using RIP, each device sends its routing table to its closest
neighbor every 30 seconds. The neighboring device in turn passes
the information on to its next neighbor and so on until all devices in
the autonomous network have the same set of routes.
When should you configure RIP?
Most small home or office networks do not need to use RIP; they
have only one router, such as the Neobit 1012VA, and one path to
an ISP. In these cases, there is no need to share routes, because
all Internet data from the network is sent to the same ISP gateway.
You may want to configure RIP if any of the following circumstances
apply to your network:
Your home network setup includes an additional router or
RIP-enabled PC (other than the Neobit 1012VA). The
Neobit 1012VAand the router will need to communicate via
RIP to share their routing tables.
Your network connects via the ADSL line to a remote
network, such as a corporate network. In order for your
LAN to learn the routes used within your corporate network,
they should
both
be configured with RIP.
Your ISP requests that you run RIP for communication with
devices on their network.