Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) is a routing protocol for IP networks that belongs to the class of link-state routing protocols. It is used as an Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP) in larger networks and is characterized by fast convergence and good scalability. The protocol is available in version 2 for IPv4 and version 3 for IPv6.
The acronym OSPF stands for Open Shortest Path First. It is a protocol for dynamic routing in IP networks. OSPF is assigned to the class of link-state routing protocols. The calculation of the routing tables and the best path to a destination is based on the Shortest Path First algorithm (Freelance Cabling Engineers). OSPF is one of the most frequently used Interior Gateway Protocols (IGP) and is used in larger networks.
In contrast to RIP (Routing Information Protocol), it also scales in large networks, guarantees freedom from loops, converges very quickly when the route changes, and enables load balancing over equivalent connections. Open Shortest Path First does not use the number of hops to a specific destination as a decision criterion for the best route, but rather the path costs based on metrics such as the data rate of individual links. The protocol is available in version 2 for IPv4 and in version 3 for IPv6. OSPF version 2 is specified in RFC 2328, OSPF version 3 in RFC 5340.
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