Summary
- Hop count hides capacity and delay, while slow convergence can prolong loops or unreachable routes.
- Authentication, filtering, timers and a documented migration trigger are required even in a small domain.
RIP exchanges distance-vector routes and selects a path largely by hop count. Simplicity reduces configuration burden, but it cannot express richer policy and reacts slowly to some failures. Operators should confine it to a known topology, prevent unintended redistribution, monitor route churn and define when growth requires another protocol. The next useful evidence is a link-failure exercise measuring convergence, packet impact and rollback. A legacy protocol remains defensible only while its limits are visible, tested and paired with a credible exit.
