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UpdatedPROPOSED STANDARDIETF stream

RFC 5340: OSPF for IPv6

Still current, but amended. Parts of this document are changed or extended by RFC 6845, RFC 6860, RFC 7503, RFC 8362, RFC 9454. Read both.

In plain English — editorial summary, not part of the RFC

This document describes the modifications to OSPF to support version 6 of the Internet Protocol (IPv6). The fundamental mechanisms of OSPF (flooding, Designated Router (DR) election, area support, Short Path First (SPF) calculations, etc.) remain unchanged. However, some changes have been necessary, either due to changes in protocol semantics between IPv4 and IPv6, or simply to handle the increased address size of IPv6. These modifications will necessitate incrementing the protocol version from version 2 to version 3. OSPF for IPv6 is also referred to as OSPF version 3 (OSPFv3). Changes between OSPF for IPv4, OSPF Version 2, and OSPF for IPv6 as described herein include the following. Addressing semantics have been removed from OSPF packets and the basic Link State Advertisements (LSAs). New LSAs have been created to carry IPv6 addresses and prefixes. OSPF now runs on a per-link basis rather than on a per-IP-subnet basis. Flooding scope for LSAs has been generalized. Authentication has been removed from the OSPF protocol and instead relies on IPv6's Authentication Header and Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP). Even with larger IPv6 addresses, most packets in OSPF for IPv6 are almost as compact as those in OSPF for IPv4. Most fields and packet- size limitations present in OSPF for IPv4 have been relaxed. In addition, option handling has been made more flexible. All of OSPF for IPv4's optional capabilities, including demand circuit support and Not-So-Stubby Areas (NSSAs), are also supported in OSPF for IPv6. [STANDARDS-TRACK]

Document record

Document ID
RFC5340
Published
July 2008
Authors
R. Coltun; D. Ferguson; J. Moy; A. Lindem
Status
PROPOSED STANDARD
Stream
IETF
Area
rtg
Pages
94
Also known as
—
Obsoletes:
RFC 2740
Updated by:
RFC 6845, RFC 6860, RFC 7503, RFC 8362, RFC 9454

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Referenced by

5 later RFCs formally update or obsolete part of this document.

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The document record above — title, authors, date, status, stream, area, relationships, DOI and errata — is imported verbatim from the public RFC Editor index. The “in plain English” section is editorial: written by The metasystema editorial team, not part of the RFC. Where the two differ, the RFC text governs.

Last checked against the RFC Editor index on . RFCs are never revised after publication; changes are issued as new documents.

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canonical URL: /rfc/5340-ospf-for-ipv6