In which OSPF state is the Designated Router (DR) and Backup Designated Router (BDR) election conducted?

The OSPF state where the Designated Router (DR) and Backup Designated Router (BDR) election takes place is the Two-way state. During this state, OSPF routers exchange hello packets to establish neighbor relationships and to determine which routers are on the same segment.

In the Two-way state, each router will recognize the other routers it can communicate with and will identify eligible routers that can participate in the election of the DR and BDR. The criteria for election usually favor the router with the highest OSPF priority, or if the priorities are the same, the highest Router ID.

Once the election process is completed in this state, the selected DR and BDR will be responsible for generating and distributing link state updates within that broadcast domain, which is essential for efficient OSPF operation. This process helps to minimize routing traffic, as only the DR will communicate with other OSPF routers, and the BDR provides redundancy in case the DR fails.

Subsequent states, such as Exstart, Full, and Loading, focus on the exchange of link-state information but do not involve the election of the DR and BDR; this is why the Two-way state is specifically significant in the context of establishing who will serve