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Shortest Path First (OSPF) is a link-state routing protocol for Internet
Protocol (IP) networks. It uses a link state routing algorithm and falls into
the group of interior routing protocols, operating within a single autonomous
system (AS). It is defined as OSPF Version 2 in RFC 2328 (1998) for IPv4.[1]
The updates for IPv6 are specified as OSPF Version 3 in RFC 5340 (2008).[2]
OSPF
is perhaps the most widely used interior gateway protocol (IGP) in large
enterprise networks. IS-IS, another link-state dynamic routing protocol, is
more common in large service provider networks. The most widely used exterior
gateway protocol is the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), the principal routing
protocol between autonomous systems on the Internet.
