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Configure RIP from the CLI

Learn how to configure Routing Information Protocol (RIP) to dynamically exchange routing information between routers and configure authentication for RIP updates.

To configure RIP, do as follows:

  1. To enter the RIP configuration mode, enter the following options:

    1. For Route configuration: 3
    2. For Configure unicast routing: 1

    You'll see the following prompt: router#

  2. Enter the router configuration mode: router#configure terminal

  3. Specify a list of networks for the RIP routing process. This requires a series of commands.

    Note

    During the initial setup, you must enter these commands sequentially.

    Option Description
    configure terminal Turns on RIP configuration mode, which places you in the router configuration mode and allows you to configure RIP from the terminal.
    router rip Allows you to configure and start the RIP routing process.
    network ip-address/subnet mask

    Enter the IP address and subnet.

    For example, if you turn on RIP for 10.0.0.0/24, it's turned on for all the IP addresses (10.0.0.0 to 10.0.0.255) of the network.

    Enables RIP interfaces between specified network addresses. RIP routing updates are sent and received only through interfaces on this network.

    Also, if an interface's network isn't specified, the interface isn't advertised in any RIP update. Interfaces with addresses that match those of a network are turned on.

    end Exits from the Router Configuration mode and places you into the Enable mode.
  4. To configure authentication, do as follows:

    Note

    During the initial setup, you must enter these commands sequentially.

    Option Description
    router#configure terminal Turns on RIP configuration mode, which places you in router configuration mode and allows you to configure from the terminal.
    router(config-rip)#interface ifname Select the interface on which you wish to configure authentication.
    router(config-if)#ip rip authentication mode{text[string]}

    Set authentication mode as text and set the authentication string. Defines authentication mode for each interface. By default, authentication is enabled for all interfaces. If authentication isn't required for any of the interfaces, you should disable it.

    RIP Version 1 doesn't support authentication. RIP Version 2 supports Clear Text (simple password) or Keyed Message Digest 5 (MD5) authentication.

    To enable authentication for RIP Version 2, and to specify the set of keys that can be used on an interface, use the IP RIP authentication key-chain command in interface configuration mode. If authentication isn't required for any of the interfaces, use the no form of this command.

    Example:
    interface A
    ip rip authentication mode text
    ip rip authentication string teststring
    no ip rip autentication

    router(config)#interface ifname See description above.
    router(config)#ip rip authentication mode {md5[Key-chain name of key-chain]}

    To set authentication mode as MD5 and set the authentication string.

    Example:
    interface A
    ip rip authentication mode md5key-chain testkeychain

    rip(config-rip)#interface ifname See description above.
    router(config-if)#no ip rip authentication mode

    Disables authentication

    Example:
    interface A
    no ip rip authentication mode

    router(config-if)#end Exits from router configuration mode and places you into enable mode.
  5. Exit to the router management menu.

router(config-if)#exit