Details of OSPF Hello Packets

Types of OSPF Packets OSPF runs directly over IP using protocol 89. OSPF packets are transmitted with the IP TOS byte value of 0. If at all possible, OSPF data packets should be provided preference compared to regular Internet Protocol(IP) data, both when being sent & being received. As added facility, OSPF data should have IP TOS Byte field Marked as Internetwork Control. All OSPF packets have a common protocol header. Every OSPF packet starts with a predefined standard 24 byte header. This header carries every piece of information required to decide if the OSPF packet needs to be accepted for further processing. Following are the the different OSPF data packet types - Hello Packets - OSPF Database Descriptor Packets - OSPF Link State Request Packets - OSPF Link State Update Packets - OSPF LS Acknowledgment Packets Details of Packets Hello packets are used create format: >>> The first bit value in the Options field is reserved for futuristic use. IOS Routers by Cisco also do not implement EA and MC bits. >>> The O bit is used for OSPF opaque LSAs, as discussed in RFC 2370. >>> The DC bitis is utilized for on demand circuit capabilities, as discussed in RFC 1793. >>> EA bit is utilized for the external attributes. >>> N/P is is utilized for NSSA option, mentioned in RFC 1587 >>> MC bit designates multicast OSPF >>> The E bit when set to on, implies that external LSA are permitted in this area >>> T bit has been implemented for ToS capability (normally set to 0) > Rtr Pri is utilized for a router's priority value. The default value is set to one. This field has an important function of electing the DR & the BDR. bigger priority value increases the chances of the OSPF Router will become the DR. A priority of zero means that this router can not take part in DR election process. > Router Dead Interval It is the number, in seconds, before a neighbor is declared dead. By default, the dead interval is 4x times the vaue of Hello interval. > Designated Router This field lists the IP address of the DR router. If there is no DR, this

field contains a value of 0.0.0.0. The DR is selected through election process. OSPF Router with the biggest priority value is selected as the Designated Router. If the priorities clash, the router with the biggest RID is selected as the DR. The core idea of the Designated Router is to decrease the amount of OSPF Flooding on multiaccess media. The Designated Router uses multicasting to decrease the amount of flooding. All OSPF Routers flood their Link state DB to the Designated Router, and the DR then passes that information back to other routers on that media. No DRs/BDRs is present on point-to-point or point-to-multipoint media types. > Backup Designated Router This field identifies the BackUp Designated Router & lists the interface IP address of the BackUp Designated Router(BDR). If no BackUp Designated Router exists, this field has a value of 0.0.0.0. The BackUp Designated Router is also selected through the Hello protocol. The purpose of the BackUp Designated Router(BDR) is to act as the backup of the Designated Router, for a immediate transition in case the DR dies. BackUp Designated Router remains passive during flooding operation. > Neighbor Field Contains the router ID of all the neighbors from which a Hello is seen. OSPF Hello Packet Detiails