Understanding OSPF: A Guide to Router Protocols - Essay Sample

Introduction

The Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) refers to “the ability of the router protocol to find the best path for packets as they pass through a set of connected networks” (Rouse, 2015). Rouse (2015) explained that as routers try to connect networks, they use the Internet Protocol (IP) as well as OSPF. The use of the OSPF routing protocol is a newer version that has taken the place of the Routing Information Protocol (RIP) which has been traditionally used in corporate networks. However, the use of RIP has not been as reliable as the use of OSPF. OSPF is one of the most utilized interior gateway protocol and computation intensive protocol. The Internet Protocol (IP) networks coupled with energy consumption are considered the primary concerns for OPSF.

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By using the OSPF, it is possible to use the Energy Aware Routing (EAR) strategy, which is compatible with the OSPF and must be based on the SPT (Shortest Path Tree) exportation technique. In some cases, this is also termed as the “Dijkstra’s Algorithm.” The EAR is most applicable where the traffic is low, but in cases where there are heavy traffic hours, it may be difficult to use the EAR strategy, and it may cause a denial of service.

The applicability of OSPF is contrasted to that of using the RIP. The RIP works by determining the number of router hops between various hosts on a network, but OSPF performs based on the “link states” that consider the additional network information. The use of the OSPF is more effective as it can be used to serve enterprise networks that outgrow a single site. For instance, it can be used to connect campuses or organizations and wide area networks (WANs). It is essential to mention that not all enterprises use OSPF due to its higher costs. The higher costs come with the large implementations which can be complex, especially where bigger networks are involved. However, the cost can be lower, where the OSPF configuration supports smaller networks.

Routers speak to each other; for instance, two routers communicating OSPF to each other share details about the cost and routes. Banks (2014) explained that OSPF routers always depend on costs to realize the most appropriate path through the network between themselves as well as a remoter router that is unique to OSPF. Several routers connected together are able to pass information to each other about costs and routes. The adjacent OSPF routers are known as neighbors. Banks (2014) further elaborated that OSPF routers mainly depend on cost as they compute the shortest path. This is possible through the use of a mathematical algorithm that is applied to networking.

In an OSPF set up, routers are connected in such a way that they all know the routes from other routers. It is possible to have several different OSPF routers to be on the network segment, especially on broadcast links. The Autonomous System (AS) in an IP network is used in OSPF, and every router bears a complete typology of the AS. Using this typology, it is possible to compute the end-to-end paths through the AS, and this is possible by the use of the Dijkstra’s Algorithm or its variant. OSPF comes in handy primarily because it makes it possible for the routers to calculate routes which satisfy specific criteria.

References

Banks, E. (2014). Networking basics: OSPF protocol explained. Network management.

Rouse, M. (2015). OSPF (Open Shortest Path First)