from DALL-E with some prompting
The image is an illustrative diagram explaining the interaction between two key protocols used in networking: OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) and BGP (Border Gateway Protocol).
- In the center, we have a network labeled “AS (Autonomous System)” which is a collection of connected IP routing prefixes under the control of one or more network operators that presents a common, clearly defined routing policy to the internet.
- Within the AS, the diagram shows a smaller network with purple lines connecting different nodes (routers), representing the OSPF protocol. OSPF is an interior gateway protocol used within an AS that distributes routing information between routers belonging to a single Autonomous System. The key features listed are:
- “Sharing Link State (broadcast)” which means OSPF routers send link state advertisements to share the state of each directly connected link.
- “with a Bandwidth” indicates that OSPF takes bandwidth into account when calculating the best route.
- “Find Short Path (Dijkstra)” refers to OSPF using Dijkstra’s algorithm to find the shortest path through the network based on the cumulative cost of reaching each node.
- On the right side of the diagram, there’s a larger network outlined in red, with blue lines connecting to a central node. This represents the BGP protocol, which is used between different ASes, especially at the borders. The features listed for BGP are:
- “Border (of the AS) Gateway” which is the point where an AS connects to another AS.
- “Sharing Routing Table between Border Gateways” means that BGP is responsible for exchanging routing information between autonomous systems, allowing them to see each other’s networks and determine the best paths.
The diagram uses solid lines to denote direct connections and dashed lines for indirect connections. The interplay between OSPF and BGP is critical for the overall functioning of the internet, with OSPF managing routes within an AS and BGP managing routes between ASes.
Lechuck Park 