Which step in the link-state routing process is defined as a router running an algorithm to determine the best path to each destination?

In the link-state routing process, the step where a router runs an algorithm to determine the best path to each destination is referred to as executing the SPF (Shortest Path First) algorithm. This algorithm is central to the operation of link-state protocols, such as OSPF (Open Shortest Path First).

When routers share link-state information through link-state advertisements, they ultimately build a complete view of the network topology, which is represented in a topology table. Once this topology table is constructed, the router will execute the SPF algorithm on it. The algorithm uses the information from the topology to calculate the shortest path to each destination. This involves determining the cost associated with different paths and selecting the optimal route based on that cost.

As a result, executing the SPF algorithm is crucial to ensuring that routes are determined efficiently and accurately, allowing routers to effectively forward packets toward their intended destinations based on the current network topology.