Cisco Certified Network Professional 2026 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

When discussing Interior Gateway Protocols (IGPs) in a real-world context, there are several factors that need to be considered for their relevance and applicability in modern networking environments. The choice of Routing Information Protocol (RIP) for this context reflects its diminished utility compared to other protocols.

RIP, being one of the oldest routing protocols, relies on a distance-vector algorithm that calculates routes based solely on hop count. This simplistic approach leads to limitations such as a maximum of 15 hops, resulting in unrealistic constraints in larger and more complex network topologies. Additionally, its slow convergence rates can lead to suboptimal routing and increased susceptibility to routing loops, making it less reliable for dynamic and large-scale environments.

In contrast, protocols like Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) and Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP) offer more advanced features such as faster convergence, support for a larger number of hops, and the ability to implement hierarchical routing structures. These advantages make them more suitable for contemporary networks that demand robustness and efficiency.

Meanwhile, Intermediate System to Intermediate System (IS-IS) is widely recognized for its capability to operate in large-scale networks, especially within service providers' backbone infrastructure, offering a sophisticated link-state protocol that shares similarities with