Scale OSPF and IS-IS without sacrificing stability or performance

If you simply follow the OSPF and IS-IS standards, you may get a link state protocol implementation that is workable for small networks, but it will lack the stability, scalability, and accuracy necessary to survive in large-scale networks. For router vendors wanting to market to the largest network operators, sophisticated OSPF and IS-IS implementations are essential, and demonstrably robust implementations are a competitive advantage. In this sample chapter from OSPF and IS-IS: Choosing an IGP for Large-Scale Networks, explore features and extensions that increase scalability of the OSPF and IS-IS protocols. Many of enhancements to the SPF algorithm can be closely guarded corporate secrets, so details on vendor-specific enhancements are rarely available, but the general areas of enhancement are examined here.

Title: OSPF and IS-IS: Choosing an IGP for Large-Scale Networks
ISBN: 0-321-16879-8
Published: November 2005
Authors: Jeff Doyle
Chapter: Chapter 8: Scaling OSPF and IS-IS
Published by Cisco Press