10 - Configuring RIP Routing in Packet Tracer

10 - Configuring RIP Routing in Packet Tracer#

This tutorial is the ninth in our Cisco Packet Tracer series and introduces dynamic routing using the Routing Information Protocol (RIP). Unlike static routes, RIP enables routers to exchange routing information automatically, making it easier to scale and manage networks with multiple paths.

We’ll use the same three-router topology from the previous tutorial, manually configure IP addresses, and add static routes to ensure full connectivity between all PCs.

If you’re after a different routing protocol, check out -

Part 1 – Network Topology Overview#

This network includes:

  • Three routers (R1, R2, R3) connected in a linear series

  • Three switches (S1, S2, S3) – one per router

  • Two PCs per switch (6 total PCs)

The goal is to enable all PCs to communicate through RIP-configured routers.

Figure

Part 2 – Device Placement and Cabling#

Step 2.1 – Add Devices to the Workspace#

From Network Devices and End Devices, place:

  • 3 Routers (Router-PT-Empty)

  • 3 Switches (2960)

  • 6 PCs

Label the devices:

  • Routers: R0, R1, R2

  • Switches: S0, S1, S2

  • PCs: PC0–PC5

Figure

Step 2.2 – Add Network Modules to Routers#

For this topology, use Router-PT-Empty devices. Each router needs two Serial and two FastEthernet interfaces to support all required connections.

Note

We will only be using one serial and one FastEthernet interface per router for this tutorial, but the additional interfaces will allow for future expansion in subequent tutorials.

Follow these steps for R0, R1, and R2:

  1. Click the router to open its configuration window.

  2. Go to the Physical tab.

  3. Click the power button to turn off the router (the green light will go out). Figure

  4. In the module area, locate PT-ROUTER-NM-1S (Serial Port) and PT-ROUTER-NM-1CFE (FastEthernet).

  5. Drag and insert two PT-ROUTER-NM-1S modules into the first two empty slots (from right to left). Figure

  6. Drag and insert two PT-ROUTER-NM-1CFE modules into the next two empty slots. Figure

  7. Click the power button again to turn the router back on. Figure

Step 2.2 – Cabling#

Now we will connect the devices using appropriate cables:

Note

For clarity and future expansion, I recommend connecting the switch to the router using the last available port on the switch (for example, fa0/24). This keeps the lower-numbered ports free for connecting PCs and other end devices.

Copper Straight-Through Connections#

From

To

Port/Interface

PC0

S1

fa0/1

PC1

S1

fa0/2

S1

R0

fa0/24 → fa2/0

PC2

S2

fa0/1

PC3

S2

fa0/2

S2

R1

fa0/24 → fa2/0

PC4

S3

fa0/1

PC5

S3

fa0/2

S3

R2

fa0/24 → fa2/0

Serial DTE Connections#

From

To

Port/Interface

R0

R1

se0/0 ↔ se1/0

R1

R2

se0/0 ↔ se1/0

Figure

Part 3 – IP Addressing Scheme#

Now we will assign IP addresses to all devices, ensuring they can communicate across the network.

Subnet Allocation#

For this tutorial, we will use the following subnets:

Subnet

Devices

Subnet Mask

192.168.1.0/24

PC0, PC1, R0

255.255.255.0

192.168.2.0/24

PC2, PC3, R1

255.255.255.0

192.168.3.0/24

PC4, PC5, R2

255.255.255.0

10.0.0.0/30

R0 ↔ R1

255.0.0.0

11.0.0.0/30

R1 ↔ R2

255.0.0.0

Step 3.1 – Assign IPs to PCs#

Go to Desktop > IP Configuration on each PC:

PC

IP Address

Subnet Mask

Default Gateway

PC0

192.168.1.10

255.255.255.0

192.168.1.1

PC1

192.168.1.11

255.255.255.0

192.168.1.1

PC2

192.168.2.12

255.255.255.0

192.168.2.1

PC3

192.168.2.13

255.255.255.0

192.168.2.1

PC4

192.168.3.14

255.255.255.0

192.168.3.1

PC5

192.168.3.15

255.255.255.0

192.168.3.1

Figure

Figure

Important

Make a save of your Packet Tracer file now before you start configuring the router, we will be using this same set up in the next few tutorials as we explore different routing protocols.

Part 4 – Router Configuration#

Each router in this network handles two types of connections:

  • LAN-side via FastEthernet2/0, connected to a local switch

  • WAN-side via Serial interfaces, connected to neighbouring routers

  • All routers will be configured with RIP version 1 for dynamic routing

Note

The RIP routing configuration is performed using the following commands:

  • router rip enters RIP configuration mode.

  • version 1 specifies the use of RIP version 1.

  • network 192.168.1.0 and network 10.0.0.0 tell the router to advertise and listen for RIP updates on interfaces belonging to these networks.

This enables the router to automatically share and learn routes for the specified networks with other RIP-enabled routers, eliminating the need for manual static routes.

Step 4.1 – R0 Configuration#

Tip

The shorthand for configure terminal is conf t, which can save time when entering commands.

enable
configure terminal
hostname R0

interface fa2/0
ip address 192.168.1.1 255.255.255.0
no shutdown
exit

interface se0/0
ip address 10.0.0.1 255.0.0.0
clock rate 64000
no shutdown
exit

router rip
version 1
network 192.168.1.0
network 10.0.0.0
exit

write memory
exit

Figure

Step 4.2 – R1 Configuration#

enable
configure terminal
hostname R1

interface fa2/0
ip address 192.168.2.1 255.255.255.0
no shutdown
exit

interface se1/0
ip address 10.0.0.2 255.0.0.0
no shutdown
exit

interface se0/0
ip address 11.0.0.1 255.0.0.0
clock rate 64000
no shutdown
exit

router rip
version 1
network 192.168.2.0
network 10.0.0.0
network 11.0.0.0
exit

write memory
exit

Step 4.3 – R2 Configuration#

enable
configure terminal
hostname R2

interface fa2/0
ip address 192.168.3.1 255.255.255.0
no shutdown
exit

interface se1/0
ip address 11.0.0.2 255.0.0.0
no shutdown
exit

router rip
version 1
network 192.168.3.0
network 11.0.0.0
exit

write memory
exit

Figure

Part 5 – Verification and Testing#

So now your network should be fully configured with RIP routing. The next step is to verify that all devices can communicate across the network.

Figure

Step 5.1 – Check Routing Tables#

Run on each router:

show ip route

You should see RIP routes (R) to all remote networks.

Figure

You can specifically specify this by running:

show ip route R

Figure

This command will filter the routing table to show only RIP routes, making it easier to verify that all networks are reachable.

Step 5.2 – Test Connectivity#

From PC0, run:

ping 192.168.1.11
ping 192.168.2.12
ping 192.168.3.14

Figure

From PC3, ping PC4:

ping 192.168.3.14

Figure

Repeat pings between any devices across networks.

Summary#

In this tutorial, you:

  • Built a three-router, three-switch network with six PCs

  • Assigned IPs and default gateways to all devices

  • Configured RIP v1 on each router

  • Verified full network reachability using dynamic routing

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