OSPF Complete Implementation (paperback)

Written by the creator of the OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) protocol, this book demonstrates the protocol in action with a complete OSPF implementation. It shows how the protocol's theory is realized in a real-time distributed software system, reveals many of the finer points of OSPF, and offers experienced-based optimization and porting techniques.

The implementation described and examined in this book is written in C++ and designed with porting in mind. The book details the software architecture of the implementation and describes in-depth key OSPF functions, illustrated by numerous code samples. It also includes a guide to porting OSPF software to different environments, with an explanation of the software layer between the OSPF implementation and the operating system. In addition, two sample ports are included a routing daemon for Linux and an OSPF routing simulator for Linux and Windows.

Key topics covered include:

• Implementation architecture, including I/O, data flow, and data structures
• Porting considerations, including handling different types of CPU chips
• AVL trees, Patricia trees, priority queues, timers, and logging messages
• The IP routing table
• Link-state database, including aging LSAs
• Neighbor discovery and the neighbor state machine
• Synchronization of link-state databases through the flooding algorithm
• Hierarchy
• Routing calculations, including intra-area, inter-area, and external routes
• An implementation of the Multicast Extensions to OSPF (MOSPF)
• Configuration and monitoring, including cryptographic authentication
• Host wiretapping

Together, OSPF: Anatomy of an Internet Routing Protocol and OSPF Complete Implementation provide an in-depth view into the theory and inner workings of OSPF, and the knowledge you need to make full use of this important protocol in Internet-based applications.