Fortinet black logo

Administration Guide

OSPF

OSPF

Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) is a link state routing protocol that is commonly used in large enterprise networks with L3 switches, routers, and firewalls from multiple vendors. It can quickly detect link failures, and converges network traffic without networking loops. It also has features to control which routes are propagated, allowing for smaller routing tables, and provides better load balancing on external links when compared to other routing protocols.

To configure OSPF in the GUI, go to Network > OSPF:

Option

Description

Router ID

A unique ID to identify your router in the network, typically in the format x.x.x.x.

Areas

The areas that the router is part of. For each are area, define the Area ID, Type, and Authentication method.

Networks

The networks that OSPF is enabled in, and the area that they belong to.

Interfaces

OSPF interfaces for transmitting and receiving packets. Configure interface properties, such as Network Type, Cost, Hello interval, and others.

Advanced Options

Settings for Inject Default Route, Passive Interfaces, and Redistribute. Redistribution can be enabled by protocol and the metric for each protocol can be configured.

This section includes the following topics:

OSPF

Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) is a link state routing protocol that is commonly used in large enterprise networks with L3 switches, routers, and firewalls from multiple vendors. It can quickly detect link failures, and converges network traffic without networking loops. It also has features to control which routes are propagated, allowing for smaller routing tables, and provides better load balancing on external links when compared to other routing protocols.

To configure OSPF in the GUI, go to Network > OSPF:

Option

Description

Router ID

A unique ID to identify your router in the network, typically in the format x.x.x.x.

Areas

The areas that the router is part of. For each are area, define the Area ID, Type, and Authentication method.

Networks

The networks that OSPF is enabled in, and the area that they belong to.

Interfaces

OSPF interfaces for transmitting and receiving packets. Configure interface properties, such as Network Type, Cost, Hello interval, and others.

Advanced Options

Settings for Inject Default Route, Passive Interfaces, and Redistribute. Redistribution can be enabled by protocol and the metric for each protocol can be configured.

This section includes the following topics: