!! OSPF, Open Shortest Path First ** [#ospf__open_shortest_path_first OSPF, Open Shortest Path First] ** [#salient_features Salient features] ** [#some_links_ Some links:] ** [#local_help_pages_ Local help pages:] ** [#books_ Books:] This is a link state protocol. There are various versions * OSPF (Version 2), (http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2328.txt RFC 2328) ((http://www.zvon.org/tmRFC/RFC2328/Output/ indexed html)) * OSPF for IPv6 (Version 3), (http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2740.txt RFC 2740) ((http://www.zvon.org/tmRFC/RFC2740/Output/ indexed html)) !! Salient features * OSPF can discover neighbors through multicast "hello" packets. This feature can be crucial in allowing new nodes to be added to the mesh without requiring configuration changes to pre-existing nodes. * OSPF supports a mode called '[p2mp point-to-multipoint]' where [Router routers] on a network (to use the RFC term for a [Subnet subnet]) do not all necessarily have to be able to communicate directly with one-another (See sections 2.1.1 and 12.4.1.4 of the RFC). This is important to support [802.11] running in [IBSS] mode as described in Layer2Assumptions * Link state information is restricted to an area, area 0 being special, namely the [BackBone]. Communications between areas must transit the backbone. The backbone must be contiguous or 'patched up' with virtual links. !! Some links: * (http://www.zebra.org - Free routing software that supports OSPF) (RFC 2328) * (http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/104/1.html - OSPF design guide on Cisco's site) * (http://felinemenace.org/~andrewg/ - Andrew Griffiths site) !! Local help pages: * [Router] * [Routing] * [OSPFwindows OSPF for windowsXP] * [Zebra Zebra and Quagga] !! Books: * Cisco Router OSPF : design and implementation guide, William Parkhurst 1998, !McGraw-Hill. ISBN:0-07-048626-3