Dynamic Link State Routing Protocol: OSPF

OSPF is the open shortest path first algorithm in routing protocols that is used widely in modern networks. It calculates the shortest path to reach the destination using the 'cost' metric. Each router has a complete picture of the entire network due to the exchange of link state advertisements (LSA's) between the routers.

It is very beneficial for large networks as compared to configuring static routes which can consume a plenty of time and is also prone to configuration errors.

There are 3 steps which the OSPF follow in determining the best route:

1. Router become neighbors
2. Exchange Link State Advertisements
3. Calculate the best route

In order to deepen my understanding related to OSPF i setup a small lab is Cisco Packet Tracer. The main goal was to allow the PC to ping each router interface successfully. Instead of manually configuring the routes i configured OSPF on each router interface and i was able to ping successfully. Below is a screenshot of my packet tracer lab.