RIPv2 Concerns

Although RIPv2 provides significant improvements over its predecessor, RIPv1, some concerns regarding RIPv2's operation remain. These are as follows:

• Maximum hop count (15)

• Count to Infinity ()

• Lack of alternative routing support

RIPv2 Maximum Hop Count (15)

RIPv2 inherited the maximum hop count limit of 15 from RIPv1. This inheritance was preserved so that RIPv2 could maintain its backward compatibility with RIPv1.

RIPv2 Count to Infinity (RIPv2, like its predecessor RIPv1, relies on the "count to infinity" mechanism to resolve certain network error conditions. Counting to infinity becomes problematic because routing loops are permitted for potentially lengthy periods of time before the "loop" is detected by the hop count and the route is marked as unreachable.

RIPv2 (Static) Fixed Metrics for Route Calculation

RIPv2, like RIPv1, selects routes based on a fixed cost metric hop count. This cost metric may be adjusted manually by the network administrator but remains static until manually changed again.

RIPv2 Lack of Alternative Routing Support

RIPv2, like RIPv1, maintains only a single route in its routing tables to a specific destination, providing no support for dynamic load balancing. If the "known" route fails, RIPv2 must wait for another routing update to determine the next optimal path to a destination.

It is this convergence time that makes RIPv2 unsuitable for large networks. Other routing protocols such as EIGRP or OSPF are more suitable for larger networks.