OSPF is an interior gateway protocol that uses link-state routing to exchange routing information among routers within a single autonomous system. OSPF prevents routing loops in multi-area networks by using two methods: area hierarchy and SPF algorithm. Area hierarchy is the concept of dividing a large OSPF network into smaller areas that are connected to a backbone area (area 0). This reduces the amount of routing information that each router has to store and process, and also limits the scope of link-state updates within each area. All areas are required to connect to area 0 either directly or through virtual links2. SPF algorithm is the method that OSPF uses to calculate the shortest path to each destination in the network based on link-state information. The SPF algorithm runs on each router and builds a shortest-path tree that represents the topology of the network from the router’s perspective. The SPF algorithm prunes looped paths within an area by choosing only one best path for each destination3.
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