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- OSPF Overview:
- OSPF is the only dynamic routing protocol explicitly listed in the CCNA exam topics.
- It’s a Link State protocol, meaning routers create a complete map of the network using a process called the Shortest Path First (SPF) algorithm.
- The algorithm was created by Dutch computer scientist Edsger Dijkstra, and it's also known as Dijkstra’s algorithm.
- There are three versions of OSPF:
- Version 1 (1989) – no longer in use.
- Version 2 (1998) – commonly used in IPv4 networks.
- Version 3 – developed for IPv6 but can also be used for IPv4.
- OSPF Concepts:
- Link State Advertisements (LSAs): Routers advertise information about their connected networks using LSAs.
- Link State Database (LSDB): LSAs are organized in the LSDB, which is identical across all routers in the OSPF area.
- Flooding: LSAs are flooded across the network until all routers in the area have the same LSDB.
- SPF Algorithm: Each router independently calculates the best route to each destination using the SPF algorithm.
- Single-Area vs. Multi-Area OSPF:
- Single-Area OSPF: Suitable for small networks. All routers are in a single area (usually area 0, the backbone area).
- Multi-Area OSPF: Necessary for larger networks to avoid the negative effects of a large single-area network (e.g., increased SPF calculation time, higher memory usage).
- Important OSPF Terms:
- Area: A set of routers and links that share the same LSDB.
- Backbone Area (Area 0): The core area in OSPF, to which all other areas must connect.
- Internal Router: A router with all interfaces in the same OSPF area.
- Area Border Router (ABR): A router with interfaces in multiple OSPF areas, acting as a border between areas. ABRs maintain a separate LSDB for each area.
- Backbone Router: A router connected to the backbone area (Area 0).
- Intra-Area Route: A route to a destination within the same OSPF area.
- Interarea Route: A route to a destination in a different OSPF area.
- OSPF Area Rules:
- Contiguous Areas: Each area should be connected (contiguous), not split up into non-contiguous sections.
- ABR Connection to Area 0: All non-backbone areas must have an ABR connected to Area 0.
- Interfaces in the Same Subnet: Interfaces in the same subnet must be in the same OSPF area to become neighbors.
- Configuring OSPF:
- Enter OSPF configuration mode using
router ospf <process-id>
.- The process ID is locally significant and doesn’t need to match between routers.
- Use the
network <network-address> <wildcard-mask> area <area-id>
command to activate OSPF on interfaces within the specified area.
- Enter OSPF configuration mode using
- Passive Interface:
- Use
passive-interface <interface>
to prevent sending OSPF hello packets out of an interface, while still advertising the subnet.
- Use
- Advertising a Default Route in OSPF:
- Configure a default route using
ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 <next-hop>
. - Advertise the default route into OSPF using the
default-information originate
command.
- Configure a default route using
show ip protocols
:- Displays information about the OSPF process, including router ID, number of areas, and OSPF neighbors.
- The router ID is determined by the highest IP address on a loopback interface, the highest IP address on a physical interface, or manually configured using
router-id <id>
. - Autonomous System Boundary Router (ASBR): A router that connects the OSPF network to an external network.
- Administrative Distance (AD): The default AD for OSPF is 110, which can be changed using the
distance <distance>
command. - Configure the maximum number of paths an OSPF router will use to perform ECMP load-balancing:
maximum-paths <number>
- Reset the OSPF process on the local router:
clear ip ospf process
- Manually configure the OSPF router ID:
router-id <a.b.c.d>