What is a characteristic of OSPF operation?

OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) is a link-state routing protocol that is widely used in large enterprise networks. A defining characteristic of OSPF operation is that it utilizes link-state advertisements (LSAs) to share routing information among routers within the same area. This method allows each router to maintain a complete and up-to-date database of the network's topology, which is crucial for accurately calculating the shortest path to each destination using Dijkstra's algorithm.

By sharing LSAs, OSPF routers can independently determine the best routing paths based on the current state of the network, which enhances efficiency and scalability. This contrasts sharply with distance-vector protocols, which typically rely on periodic updates and do not maintain a full topology map of the network. With OSPF's link-state approach, routers only need to send updates when the network topology changes, rather than at regular intervals, resulting in reduced bandwidth usage and faster convergence times.

While OSPF can be configured on various types of networks, including Ethernet, it is not limited to only Ethernet networks, making it versatile in deployment across different types of infrastructure. OSPF also does not require manual configuration for every router, as it can autonomously learn and propagate routing information once initially configured.