Which technology does OSPF utilize to maintain routing information?

OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) is classified as a Link State routing protocol. It uses a method where each router in the network maintains a complete view of the network topology by exchanging link state advertisements (LSAs) with other routers. This approach allows OSPF to understand the entire network's state and make more informed routing decisions based on the current state of all links, rather than relying solely on distance or hop count.

In a Link State protocol like OSPF, routers gather information about their own links and send that information to all other routers in the area, which allows each router to independently calculate the shortest path to each destination using an algorithm like Dijkstra's shortest path first (SPF). This results in more efficient and accurate routing compared to Distance Vector protocols, which rely on routers periodically sharing their routing tables with their immediate neighbors.

By understanding the entire topology rather than just vector information about distance, OSPF can quickly adapt to changes in the network and optimize routing paths effectively. This ensures that routing information remains current and reliable, considering the dynamic nature of network connections.