What is the difference between Routing Protocols and Routed Protocols

While discussing about protocols, two terms are commonly used: routing protocols and routed protocols.

Routed Protocols

A Routed Protocol is a network protocol which can be used to send the user data from one network to another network. Routed Protocol carries user traffic such as e-mails, file transfers, web traffic etc.

Routed protocols use an addressing system (example IP Address) which can address a particular network and a host (a computer, server, network printer etc) inside that network. In other words, the address which is used by a Routed Protocol (Example IP (Internet Protocol)) has a network address part and a host (a computer inside a network) part.

IP (Internet Protocol) is the most widely used Routed Protocol. Internet is using IP (IPv4 or IPv6) as its Routed Protocol. Other Routed protocols are vanishing from network industry.

A Routed Protocol is an integral part of network protocol suit and it is available in every device which is participating in network communication (Example, Routers, Switches, Computers etc).

Routing Protocol

A Routing Protocol learns routes (path) for a Routed Protocol and IP (Internet Protocol), IPX (Internetwork Packet Exchange) and Appletalk are the examples of Routed Protocols.

Routing Protocols are network protocols used to dynamically advertise and learn the networks connected, and to learn the routes (network paths) which are available. Routing protocols running in different routers exchange updates between each other and most efficient routes to a destination. Routing Protocols have capacity to learn about a network when a new network is added and detect when a network is unavailable.

Routing Protocols normally run only in Routers, Layer 3 Swithes, End devices (firewalls) or Network Servers with Network Operating Systems. Routing Protocols are not available in a normal computer or a printer.

Examples of Routing Protocols are RIP (Routing Information Protocol) , EIGRP (Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol) and OSPF (Open Shortest Path First).

Following table lists important Routing Protocols related Routed Protocols.