Introduction

Routing is a fundamental part of any IP (Internet Protocol)-based infrastructure. Every device on an IP-based network uses routes to determine the next hop or location it needs to access the desired host. In many cases, firewalls are just glorified routers. They provide firewall features, but are still a core routing component in many organizations networks. Routers themselves are usually capable of providing a stateful firewall.

There are two routing protocols that can be used with a SonicWALL firewall. The first protocol, Routing Information Protocol (RIP), is an older protocol, but it is the most commonly supported protocol. The second protocol, Open Shortest Path First (OSPF), is an extremely robust protocol. OSPF is an open standard protocol and is used by many organizations for their internal networks.

Routing Information Protocol (RIP)

The routing information protocol (RIP) is one of the oldest dynamic routing protocols still in wide use today. The first version of RIP was contained in BSD as routed when released in 1982, but some of the basic algorithms within the protocol were used on the ARPANET as early as 1969. RIP is a widely used protocol within small to medium-sized networks because it is relatively easy to set up and is generally compatible among different device manufacturers. RIP began as an EGP but is now almost exclusively used as an IGP. RIP is a distance vector protocol, which means that it compares routes mathematically using a value that represents distance, in hops, to a destination. The term