What is an example of a distance-vector routing protocol?

Question

Options

• AOSPF
• BBGP
• CRIP
• DIGRP

• A
  3% (1)
• B
  3% (1)
• C
  93% (27)

Explanation

RIP (Routing Information Protocol) is the classic example of a distance-vector protocol - it shares routing tables with neighbors based solely on hop count (distance) and direction (vector), with a maximum of 15 hops.

Why the others are wrong:

• OSPF (A) is a link-state protocol - it builds a complete map of the network topology using Dijkstra's algorithm, not just distance/direction from neighbors.
• BGP (B) is a path-vector protocol - it shares full AS path information, making it more sophisticated than distance-vector.
• IGRP (D) is a trap: it is a distance-vector protocol (Cisco proprietary), but RIP is the textbook answer and the most universally recognized example.

Memory tip: Think "RIP = simple and old" - distance-vector protocols are the simpler, older approach (RIP v1 dates to 1988), while link-state protocols like OSPF are newer and more complex. If a question asks for the classic or example distance-vector protocol, RIP is always the safe pick over IGRP, which is vendor-specific and deprecated.

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