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Configuring Basic OSPF Tutorial

### Comprehensive Tutorial: Configuring Basic OSPF

**Objective**: This tutorial aims to guide you through configuring Open Shortest Path First (OSPF), a popular link-state routing protocol, on Cisco routers. We will cover basic configuration steps, verification commands, and common troubleshooting tips.

---

### Prerequisites

- Access to Cisco routers or a simulation tool like GNS3 or Cisco Packet Tracer.
- Basic understanding of Cisco IOS commands and router configurations.
- Basic knowledge of networking concepts, including IP addressing and subnetting.

---

### OSPF Overview

OSPF is a link-state routing protocol that efficiently routes IP packets within an Autonomous System (AS). It uses the Dijkstra algorithm to calculate the shortest path to each node in the network.

### Steps to Configure OSPF

#### Step 1: Plan the Network

Before configuring OSPF, outline your network topology, including IP addresses for each router interface. Here’s a simple example:

- **Router1**
  - Interface: `GigabitEthernet 0/0`
  - IP Address: `192.168.1.1/24`
  
- **Router2**
  - Interface: `GigabitEthernet 0/0`
  - IP Address: `192.168.1.2/24`

- **Link Between Routers**: `192.168.2.0/30`

#### Step 2: Basic Router Configuration

1. **Access the Router**: Use the console or SSH to access the router.

2. **Enter Global Configuration Mode**:

   ```plaintext
   Router> enable
   Router# configure terminal
   ```

3. **Configure Hostname** (Optional):

   ```plaintext
   Router(config)# hostname Router1
   ```

#### Step 3: Configure Interfaces

Configure the interfaces on both routers.

**Router1 Configuration**:

```plaintext
Router1(config)# interface g0/0
Router1(config-if)# ip address 192.168.1.1 255.255.255.0
Router1(config-if)# no shutdown
Router1(config-if)# exit

Router1(config)# interface g0/1
Router1(config-if)# ip address 192.168.2.1 255.255.255.252
Router1(config-if)# no shutdown
Router1(config-if)# exit
```

**Router2 Configuration**:

```plaintext
Router2(config)# interface g0/0
Router2(config-if)# ip address 192.168.1.2 255.255.255.0
Router2(config-if)# no shutdown
Router2(config-if)# exit

Router2(config)# interface g0/1
Router2(config-if)# ip address 192.168.2.2 255.255.255.252
Router2(config-if)# no shutdown
Router2(config-if)# exit
```

#### Step 4: Enable OSPF

**Router1 OSPF Configuration**:

1. **Enable OSPF**:

   ```plaintext
   Router1(config)# router ospf 1
   ```

2. **Configure OSPF Networks**:

   Specify the networks that OSPF should advertise. In this example, we’ll include both the local and the link IP addresses.

   ```plaintext
   Router1(config-router)# network 192.168.1.0 0.0.0.255 area 0
   Router1(config-router)# network 192.168.2.0 0.0.0.3 area 0
   ```

3. **Exit OSPF Configuration**:

   ```plaintext
   Router1(config-router)# exit
   ```

**Router2 OSPF Configuration**:

1. **Enable OSPF**:

   ```plaintext
   Router2(config)# router ospf 1
   ```

2. **Configure OSPF Networks**:

   ```plaintext
   Router2(config-router)# network 192.168.1.0 0.0.0.255 area 0
   Router2(config-router)# network 192.168.2.0 0.0.0.3 area 0
   ```

3. **Exit OSPF Configuration**:

   ```plaintext
   Router2(config-router)# exit
   ```

#### Step 5: Verify OSPF Configuration

After configuring OSPF, it’s essential to verify that it is functioning correctly.

1. **Show OSPF Neighbors**:

   On both routers, check OSPF neighbors:

   ```plaintext
   Router1# show ip ospf neighbor
   ```

   You should see Router2 listed as a neighbor.

2. **Show OSPF Route**:

   Check the OSPF routing table:

   ```plaintext
   Router1# show ip route ospf
   ```

   You should see routes for the connected networks.

3. **Check OSPF Configuration**:

   Display the OSPF configuration:

   ```plaintext
   Router1# show running-config | section router ospf
   ```

#### Step 6: Troubleshooting OSPF

If OSPF does not function as expected, consider the following troubleshooting steps:

1. **Verify Interface Status**:
   Ensure all interfaces are up:

   ```plaintext
   Router1# show ip interface brief
   ```

2. **Check OSPF Neighbors**:
   If neighbors are not listed, ensure they are configured in the same area and check for mismatched OSPF settings.

3. **Check OSPF Process ID**:
   Ensure the same OSPF process ID is used on both routers (e.g., `1`).

4. **Look for Access Control Lists (ACLs)**:
   Ensure no ACLs are blocking OSPF traffic (protocol 89).

5. **Examine OSPF Timers**:
   Verify that hello and dead timers match between neighbors.

### Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully configured OSPF on a basic network setup. OSPF is a powerful and efficient routing protocol, and understanding its configuration is crucial for building scalable networks. 

Feel free to experiment with additional OSPF features, such as authentication, route summarization, and stub areas, to enhance your knowledge further.

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