Can you explain what a routing protocol is and how it is used in networks?

Routing protocol is a set of rules and procedures used to exchange information about available routes between routers in a network. Its main task is to determine the optimal path for transmitting data from the source to the destination.

In networks, routing protocols help automatically update routing tables, considering changes in the network topology, such as the appearance of new nodes or the failure of existing ones. There are two main types of routing protocols:

• Interior Gateway Protocols (IGP) — operate within a single autonomous system (e.g., OSPF, RIP).
• Exterior Gateway Protocols (EGP) — used for exchanging routing information between different autonomous systems (e.g., BGP).

Example of use: a router receives network information from neighboring routers using a routing protocol and builds a routing table based on this information to direct packets along the optimal path.