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A distance-vector routing protocol lets routers learn routes by exchanging destination and route-cost information with neighboring routers. Each router uses those reports to choose a next hop; “distance” means a protocol-defined cost, not geographic distance. RIP is one example, not the definition of the entire family.
How a distance-vector protocol works
A router begins with routes it knows locally, then receives route advertisements from neighboring routers. It compares each advertised route and its cost with its current information. If a route through a neighbor is preferable under the protocol’s rules, the router can update the route’s next hop and cost. The result is a distributed view of reachable destinations, built from neighbor reports rather than from every router independently receiving a complete network map.
This approach is associated with the Bellman-Ford algorithm. RFC 1058 describes RIP as a member of the distance-vector family and identifies Bellman-Ford as one name for these algorithms. The protocol determines the metric and the precise rules for exchanging and evaluating route information.
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“Distance” is the metric or cost assigned to a route, not the physical distance between routers. “Vector” refers to the destination and associated route information a router learns and advertises. The metric can be simple or can combine several characteristics; it is not necessarily a count of routers.
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RIP illustrates the family, but does not define it
RIP uses hop count as its route metric. Cisco documents a usable range of 0 through 15 hops for RIP, with a metric of 16 meaning unreachable. That ceiling makes RIP unsuitable for networks whose diameter exceeds its usable hop range. These are RIP-specific properties, not rules for every distance-vector protocol. Cisco’s RIP documentation, updated June 25, 2026, describes the metric.
IGRP shows why the family should not be reduced to hop count: Cisco describes it as using a vector of metrics to characterize paths, a composite metric for route selection, and the ability to select multiple paths within a specified metric range. Cisco’s IGRP overview explains that design.
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Why loops can happen, and how protocols mitigate them
After a route becomes unavailable, neighboring routers can temporarily retain stale reachability information. They may then advertise routes to one another that appear to offer a way to reach the lost destination. In the count-to-infinity problem described in RFC 1058, those routers incrementally raise their route estimates rather than promptly recognizing that the destination is unreachable.
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Split horizon omits a route learned from a neighbor when sending an update back to that same neighbor. This prevents one common way of circulating misleading route information.
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Poisoned reverse
Poisoned reverse sends the route back toward the neighbor it came from, but marks it with an infinite metric to indicate that it is unreachable through that route. It is a stronger form of the same loop-mitigation idea, not a guarantee against every possible routing loop.
RFC 1812 specifies that IPv4 router implementations of RIP must implement split horizon and should implement split horizon with poisoned reverse. That requirement is scoped to RIP on IPv4 routers, not to all distance-vector protocols. The mechanisms are discussed in RFC 1058 and RFC 1812.
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RIP timers are implementation-specific details
On the Cisco platform covered by its documentation, RIP updates are sent every 30 seconds; routes become unusable after 180 seconds, and entries are removed after 240 seconds. These figures describe that documented implementation and should not be treated as universal timers for every RIP implementation, much less every distance-vector protocol. Cisco’s RIP documentation was updated June 25, 2026.
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The label “distance-vector” alone does not tell you which protocol fits a network. Compare the actual design on these points:
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- Exchanged information: What destinations and route attributes do routers advertise to neighbors?
- Metric: Is route cost based on hop count or a combination of metrics?
- Route selection: How are costs compared, and can the protocol retain multiple paths?
- Convergence and updates: How does the protocol respond when a route changes or fails?
- Loop controls: Which mechanisms limit stale or circular route information?
- Scale and topology: Does the protocol’s metric range and behavior suit the network’s size and structure?
Sources
- RFC 1058: Routing Information Protocol, RFC Editor, June 1988.
- Information about Routing Information Protocol, Cisco, updated June 25, 2026.
- An Introduction to IGRP, Cisco.
- RFC 1812: Requirements for IP Version 4 Routers, RFC Editor, March 1995.
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