---
name: "ripd.conf"
section: "5"
platform: "openbsd"
package: "man"
version: "8.0-current-20261101"
release: "OpenBSD 8.0-current (2026-11-01)"
platforms: ["openbsd"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/ripd.conf"
---

# ripd.conf(5)

RIP routing daemon configuration file

## NAME

**ripd.conf** – RIP routing daemon configuration file

## DESCRIPTION

The [ripd(8)](/ripd/8.md) daemon implements the Routing Information Protocol version 2 as described in RFC 2453.

The **ripd.conf** config file is divided into the following main sections:

- Macros

  Definitions of variables that can be used later, simplifying the configuration file.

- Global configuration

  Global settings for [ripd(8)](/ripd/8.md).

- Interfaces configuration

  Interface-specific parameters.

### Macros

A macro is defined with a command of the form *name*=*value*. The macro *name* can contain letters, digits, and underscores and cannot be a reserved word (for example, **cost**). Within unquoted arguments, the string $*name* is later expanded to *value*.

For example:

```
hi="2"
interface em0 {
	cost $hi
}
```

### Global configuration

Global settings concerns the main behaviour of the daemon.

- **fib-priority** *prio*

  Set the routing priority to *prio*. The default is 40.

-

  **fib-update** (**yes**\|**no**) If set to **no**, do not update the Forwarding Information Base, a.k.a. the kernel routing table. The default is **yes**.

- **rdomain** *tableid*

  Specifies the routing table [ripd(8)](/ripd/8.md) should modify. Table 0 is the default table.

-

  \[**no**\] **redistribute**(**static**\|**connected**\| **default**)

-

  \[**no**\] **redistribute** *prefix*

-

  \[**no**\] **redistribute** **rtlabel** *label* If set to **connected**, routes to directly attached networks will be announced over RIP. If set to **static**, static routes will be announced over RIP. If set to **default**, a default route pointing to this router will be announced over RIP. It is possible to specify a network range with *prefix*; networks need to be part of that range to be redistributed. Additionally it is possible to redistribute based on route labels using the **rtlabel** keyword. By default no additional routes will be announced over RIP.

  **redistribute** statements are evaluated in sequential order, from first to last. The first matching rule decides if a route should be redistributed or not. Matching rules starting with **no** will force the route to be not announced.

-

  **split-horizon**(**simple**\|**poisoned**\| **none**) If set to **simple**, do not redistribute routes to the interface from which they were learned. If set to **poisoned**, redistribute routes to the interface from which they were learned, by forcing the metric to infinity. Both these behaviours can resolve routing loops when a router goes down. The default is **poisoned**.

-

  **triggered-updates** (**yes**\|**no**) Immediately trigger responses when a route changes. The default is **no**.

### Interfaces configuration

Each interface can have several parameters configured individually, otherwise they are inherited.

```
interface em0 {
	cost 9
	auth-type none
}
interface ix1
```

Interface-specific parameters are listed below.

- **auth-key** *key*

  Set the authentication key for **simple** authentication. Up to 16 characters can be specified.

- **auth-md** *key-id* *key*

  Set the authentication *key-id* and *key* for **crypt** authentication. The valid range for *key-id* is 0-255. Up to 16 characters can be specified for *key*. Multiple keys may be specified.

- **auth-md-keyid** *key-id*

  Configure the *key-id* to use for **crypt** authentication. The valid range for *key-id* is 0-255. The default key-id is 1.

-

  **auth-type**(**none**\| **simple**\|**crypt**) Set the authentication type. The default is **none**. Simple authentication uses a plaintext password, up to 16 characters. Crypt authentication uses an MD5 hash.

- **cost** *number*

  Cost of the network connected through this interface. Values must be between 1 and 16, inclusive.

- **demote** *group*

  Increase the [carp(4)](/carp/4.md) demotion counter by 1 on the given interface group, usually *carp*, when the interface state is going down. The demotion counter will be decreased when the interface state is active again.

- **passive**

  Prevent transmission and reception of RIP packets on this interface  and advertise all prefixes configured on this interface.

## FILES

- */etc/ripd.conf*

  [ripd(8)](/ripd/8.md) configuration file.

- */etc/examples/ripd.conf*

  Example configuration file.

## SEE ALSO

rc.conf.local(8), [ripctl(8)](/ripctl/8.md), [ripd(8)](/ripd/8.md)

## HISTORY

The **ripd.conf** file format first appeared in OpenBSD 4.1.