IP Routing Fundamentals

Topology Changes

Up to this point, RIP's fundamental mechanisms and specifications have been examined in a rather static fashion. A deeper appreciation for RIP's mechanics, however, can be gained by looking at how these mechanisms interact to accommodate changes in network topology.

Convergence

The most significant implication of a topology change in a RIP internetwork is that it changes the solution set of neighboring nodes. This change may also result in different results the next time the distance vectors are calculated. Therefore, the new sets of neighboring nodes must then converge, from different starting points, on a consensus of what the new topology looks like. This process of developing a consensual perspective of the topology is ...