Practical OSPF Configuration, SPF, ECMP, Area Routing, and Troubleshooting
1-Day Instructor-Led Hands-On Lab Class
Available in either Web-Based Delivery or On-Site Delivery
Minimum 8 students – Maximum 16 students
What Students are Saying About this Class:
- “[Instructor] covered the information incredibly well and all of it was applicable to my job. I couldn’t be happier with this course.”
- “The hands on labs and instructor lead lab reviews were very educational. Thanks you for this learning opportunity”
- “Andy Walding was an excellent instructor. I really appreciated Andy sharing his customer experiences during the class. the lab exercises were very helpful and easy to follow. Great class!”
- “Labs were well planned and very easy to follow.”
Course Description
Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) is one of the most important dynamic routing protocols used in IP networks.
CSI-HO-028-B – OSPF Routing in a Day is a focused one-day hands-on course designed to give students a practical understanding of how OSPF works, how it is configured, and how to verify its operation.
Using CellStream’s “follow me” hands-on approach, students configure OSPF while learning the concepts behind the protocol. The course progresses from fundamental OSPF operation into protocol formats, Shortest Path First calculations, Equal Cost Multi Path routing, and OSPF areas.
The goal is not simply to memorize configuration commands.
Students learn to answer:
- What problem does OSPF solve?
- How do OSPF routers exchange routing information?
- How does OSPF determine the best path?
- What is the role of the Shortest Path First algorithm?
- How does Equal Cost Multi Path routing work?
- Why are OSPF areas used?
- How can I verify that OSPF is operating correctly?
Why OSPF Skills Matter
OSPF is widely used because it provides dynamic, scalable routing within IP networks.
For technicians and engineers, understanding OSPF means being able to look beyond basic connectivity and determine:
- Are the routers communicating correctly?
- Has the expected route been learned?
- Why was that path selected?
- Is traffic using multiple equal-cost paths?
- Is the area design operating as expected?
Those skills are valuable when configuring, operating, or troubleshooting routed networks.
Course Objectives
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Explain the purpose and fundamental operation of OSPF.
- Understand where OSPF fits within an IP network.
- Configure basic OSPF routing.
- Examine OSPF protocol operation.
- Understand important OSPF protocol formats.
- Explain the Shortest Path First process.
- Understand OSPF route calculation.
- Explain Equal Cost Multi Path routing.
- Describe the purpose of OSPF areas.
- Configure and verify OSPF area routing.
- Use router operational commands to examine OSPF behavior.
- Apply hands-on verification and troubleshooting techniques.
The emphasis is on understanding what OSPF is doing rather than simply entering OSPF commands.
Audience
This course is designed for technical professionals who need practical OSPF routing skills.
Ideal participants include:
- Network Engineers
- Broadband and Service Provider Technicians
- Data Center and Central Office Technicians
- Network Operations Center personnel
- Network Administrators
- Network Design Engineers
- Network Support personnel
- Systems and Test Engineers
- Network Management personnel
- Technical Sales Engineers
- Technical Marketing personnel
- Individuals preparing for networking certifications
Course Prerequisites
Students should have a basic understanding of IP networking, IPv4 addressing, subnetting, and routing.
Previous OSPF experience is not required.
Students should be comfortable working with basic network configuration concepts so the class can focus on OSPF itself.
All students participating remotely will need a computer capable of connecting to the CellStream router lab environment.
Course Materials
Students receive:
- Course Student Guide
- Access to the CellStream router lab environment
- OSPF configuration exercises
- OSPF verification exercises
- Additional routing reference material
Course Outline:
- Section 1: Course Introduction and Logistics
- Section 2: OSPF Fundamental Concepts
- Section 3: The OSPF Protocol and Format
- Section 4: The Shortest Path First Method of OSPF
- Section 5: Equal Cost Multi Path (ECMP)
- Section 6: OSPF Area Routing
Why Take This Course?
OSPF can become a complicated subject when too many advanced concepts are introduced at once.
OSPF Routing in a Day concentrates on the core concepts technicians and engineers need to build a solid OSPF foundation.
In one focused day, students progress from: What is OSPF? to: How does OSPF operate? to: How does OSPF calculate routes? to: How do ECMP and OSPF areas affect routing?
Most importantly, students reinforce those concepts by working directly with the protocol in the lab.
Related Training
Students who want to continue beyond OSPF fundamentals may progress into CellStream training covering:
- Advanced Layer 3 Routing
- BGP
- Advanced IPv4 networking
- IPv6 routing
- MPLS
- Network troubleshooting
- Wireshark and packet analysis
Course Availability:
Contact us for schedule dates and times via our contact form or through the details provided on the page.
View the course calendar and browse for our schedule. It will show scheduled courses and available dates for scheduling.
Course Description, Content, Outline, and Instructional Design are Copyright ©CellStream, Inc.