Loading...
Route Access Protocol
Route Access Protocol (RAP) is an early protocol primarily used for routing table maintenance and exchange within network infrastructures. It facilitates the distribution of routing information between routers, enabling dynamic network topology updates and helping routers adjust their forwarding decisions based on the latest route data..
Route Access Protocol (RAP) was designed as a network control protocol that assists routers in exchanging routing information dynamically. It facilitates communication between routing devices, allowing them to share and synchronize their routing tables. RAP supports both connection-oriented (TCP) and connectionless (UDP) transport, offering flexibility in implementation depending on network requirements.
This protocol typically transmits data describing reachable networks, route metrics, and path information. Such updates allow routers to adapt to network topology changes, including the addition or removal of network devices or links. By automating the route update process, RAP helps reduce administrative overhead and ensures routing decisions remain efficient and effective.
While useful historically, RAP is largely considered obsolete today. More modern, scalable, and secure routing protocols — such as OSPF (Open Shortest Path First), IS-IS (Intermediate System to Intermediate System), and BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) — have superseded RAP in nearly all production environments.