Which routing protocol is a purely distance-vector protocol and uses hop count as its only metric with 15 hops being the maximum?

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Multiple Choice

Which routing protocol is a purely distance-vector protocol and uses hop count as its only metric with 15 hops being the maximum?

Distance-vector routing that uses a single metric, hop count, and enforces a 15-hop maximum is the telltale sign of RIP. In this approach, each router shares its view of reachability with its neighbors, and routes are chosen based on the number of hops to the destination. The hop count is the only metric used, so the path with the fewest hops wins. The 15-hop limit isn’t just a number—it’s a built-in safeguard: any destination more than 15 hops away is treated as unreachable, which helps prevent routing loops in these simpler, distance-vector systems. The other protocols here operate differently. OSPF and IS-IS are link-state protocols; they build a complete map of the network topology and run shortest-path algorithms (like Dijkstra) on that map to determine routes. EIGRP is a hybrid protocol that uses a composite metric (not just hop count) and its own algorithm (DUAL) rather than a pure distance-vector approach. So, the one that fits the description exactly is RIP.

Distance-vector routing that uses a single metric, hop count, and enforces a 15-hop maximum is the telltale sign of RIP. In this approach, each router shares its view of reachability with its neighbors, and routes are chosen based on the number of hops to the destination. The hop count is the only metric used, so the path with the fewest hops wins. The 15-hop limit isn’t just a number—it’s a built-in safeguard: any destination more than 15 hops away is treated as unreachable, which helps prevent routing loops in these simpler, distance-vector systems.

The other protocols here operate differently. OSPF and IS-IS are link-state protocols; they build a complete map of the network topology and run shortest-path algorithms (like Dijkstra) on that map to determine routes. EIGRP is a hybrid protocol that uses a composite metric (not just hop count) and its own algorithm (DUAL) rather than a pure distance-vector approach. So, the one that fits the description exactly is RIP.

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