OSPF

OSPF, Open Shortest Path First

This is a link state protocol. There are various versions

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 'point-to-multipoint' where routers on a network (to use the RFC term for a 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.

Cisco Router OSPF : design and implementation guide, William Parkhurst 1998, McGraw-Hill. ISBN:0-07-048626-3

Version 12 (current) modified Mon, 26 Jul 2021 12:49:29 +0000 by Dan