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Interior Gateway Protocols: TRUE Statement for RIP vs OSPF (Distance Vector vs Link State)

Interior Gateway Protocols: TRUE Statement for RIP vs OSPF (Distance Vector vs Link State)

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Nov 4, 2026

Interior Gateway Protocols (IGPs) exchange routing information within the same Autonomous System. The two classic options in this question are RIP and OSPF.

At a high level:

  • RIP is a distance-vector protocol.
  • OSPF is a link-state protocol.

Therefore, the correct choice is (i) RIP uses distance vector routing and OSPF uses link state routing. 3

Footnotes

  1. RIP (Routing Information Protocol) — distance-vector protocol - Describes RIP as a distance-vector IGP using hop count/metric. ↩

  2. OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) — link-state routing protocol - Describes OSPF as a link-state protocol using LSAs and shortest-path computation. ↩

  3. Distance-vector vs link-state routing overview - General definitions distinguishing distance-vector routing from link-state routing. ↩

OSPF vs RIP (Distance Vector vs Link State)

Key idea: what each protocol “shares”

In distance-vector routing, routers share reachability to destinations plus a computed metric, typically derived from neighbor-provided vectors. In link-state routing, routers share information about the network topology (what links exist), and each router independently runs a shortest-path algorithm to compute best routes. 2

This difference is why the statement in option (i) is true:

  • (i) ✅ RIP = distance vector; ✅ OSPF = link state 2

The other options invert the roles or claim both use the same approach, which conflicts with the standard definitions of RIP and OSPF. 3

Footnotes

  1. RIP (Routing Information Protocol) — distance-vector protocol - Describes RIP as a distance-vector IGP using hop count/metric. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  2. OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) — link-state routing protocol - Describes OSPF as a link-state protocol using LSAs and shortest-path computation. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  3. Distance-vector vs link-state routing overview - General definitions distinguishing distance-vector routing from link-state routing. ↩

How the routing “style” differs (conceptual workflow)

  1. 1
    Step 1

    Each RIP router learns routes from neighbors as a form of distance vector (destination reachability + metric such as hop count) and updates its own table accordingly.

    Footnotes

    1. RIP (Routing Information Protocol) — distance-vector protocol - Describes RIP as a distance-vector IGP using hop count/metric. ↩

  2. 2
    Step 2

    Each OSPF router advertises link-state information (topology details) within the area using LSAs; routers then build a full topology view.

    Footnotes

    1. OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) — link-state routing protocol - Describes OSPF as a link-state protocol using LSAs and shortest-path computation. ↩

  3. 3
    Step 3

    Given the link-state database, OSPF computes shortest paths to all destinations (commonly described as SPF computation).

    Footnotes

    1. OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) — link-state routing protocol - Describes OSPF as a link-state protocol using LSAs and shortest-path computation. ↩

Exam shortcut

If the option mentions RIP → distance vector and OSPF → link state, that is the correct pairing. This is the classic distinguishing fact for IGPs. 2

Footnotes

  1. RIP (Routing Information Protocol) — distance-vector protocol - Describes RIP as a distance-vector IGP using hop count/metric. ↩

  2. OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) — link-state routing protocol - Describes OSPF as a link-state protocol using LSAs and shortest-path computation. ↩

Common misconception

Do not assume that “IGP” implies the same routing technique. RIP and OSPF are both interior gateways, but they fundamentally use different routing models (distance-vector vs link-state). 2

Footnotes

  1. RIP (Routing Information Protocol) — distance-vector protocol - Describes RIP as a distance-vector IGP using hop count/metric. ↩

  2. OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) — link-state routing protocol - Describes OSPF as a link-state protocol using LSAs and shortest-path computation. ↩

From routing model to outcome

Share next-hop-style metrics

Distance-vector (RIP)

Routers share computed distance vectors with neighbors; tables evolve via iterative updates. "

Footnotes

  1. RIP (Routing Information Protocol) — distance-vector protocol - Describes RIP as a distance-vector IGP using hop count/metric. ↩

Share topology (LSAs)

Link-state (OSPF)

Routers disseminate link-state info; each router derives routes from the same topology view. "

Footnotes

  1. OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) — link-state routing protocol - Describes OSPF as a link-state protocol using LSAs and shortest-path computation. ↩

Different internal mechanics

Result

This is exactly what option (i) captures. 2"

Footnotes

  1. RIP (Routing Information Protocol) — distance-vector protocol - Describes RIP as a distance-vector IGP using hop count/metric. ↩

  2. OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) — link-state routing protocol - Describes OSPF as a link-state protocol using LSAs and shortest-path computation. ↩

RIP vs OSPF Routing Model (Conceptual)

Which family each protocol belongs to.

Answer Verification & Why the Others Are False

Knowledge Check

Question 1 of 3
Q1Single choice

Which statement is TRUE about interior gateway routing protocols RIP and OSPF?

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