RIPng Overview
RIPng uses User Datagram Protocol (UDP) data packets to exchange routing information in small internetworks.
RIPng supports IPv6 and uses the following two message types:
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Request—Sent to the multicast address FF02::9 to request route updates from other RIPng-enabled routers.
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Response—Sent every 30 seconds by default (see the Verifying the RIPng Configuration section). The router also sends response messages after it receives a request message. The response message contains the entire RIPng route table. RIPng sends multiple response packets for a request if the RIPng routing table cannot fit in one response packet.
RIPng uses a hop count for the routing metric. The hop count is the number of routers that a packet can traverse before reaching its destination. A directly connected network has a metric of 1. An unreachable network has a metric of 16. This small range of metrics makes RIPng an unsuitable routing protocol for large networks.