Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different routing protocols.

RIP (Routing Information Protocol):

Advantages:

1. Easy to set up.
2. Compatible with all routers.
3. Supports load balancing.

Disadvantages:

1. Limited to 15 hops, restricting larger networks.
2. Doesn’t handle Variable-Length Subnet Masks (VLSM).
3. Slow convergence on large networks.
4. Lacks knowledge of link bandwidth.
5. No support for multiple paths for the same route.
6. High bandwidth requirement for updates, prone to loops.

IGRP (Interior Gateway Routing Protocol):

Advantages:

1. Simple configuration.
2. Accurate route selection based on link metrics.

Disadvantages:

1. Proprietary to Cisco routers.
2. Slower convergence compared to RIP.
3. Does not support VLSM.
4. Vulnerable to routing loops.

EIGRP (Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol):

Advantages:

1. Quick convergence and loop-free network.
2. Supports different IP versions.
3. Lower CPU usage compared to OSPF.
4. Efficient use of bandwidth for updates.
5. Supports VLSM.

Disadvantages:

1. Proprietary to Cisco routers.

OSPF (Open Shortest Path First):

Advantages:

1. Quick convergence.
2. Small routing update packets.
3. No routing loops.
4. Scales well for large networks.
5. Supports VLSM.

Disadvantages:

1. More complex configuration compared to distance vector protocols.