Advantages and disadvantages of link-state routing

Advantages and disadvantages of link-state routing
2.1.5 This page lists the advantages and disadvantages of link-state routing protocols. The following are advantages of link-state routing protocols: 

• Link-state protocols use cost metrics to choose paths through the network. The cost metric reflects the capacity of the links on those paths.
• Link-state protocols use triggered updates and LSA floods to immediately report changes in the network topology to all routers in the network. This leads to fast convergence times.
• Each router has a complete and synchronized picture of the network. Therefore, it is very difficult for routing loops to occur.
• Routers use the latest information to make the best routing decisions.
• The link-state database sizes can be minimized with careful network design. This leads to smaller Dijkstra calculations and faster convergence.
• Every router, at the very least, maps the topology of its own area of the network. This attribute helps to troubleshoot problems that can occur.
• Link-state protocols support CIDR and VLSM.

The following are some disadvantages of link-state routing protocols: 

• They require more memory and processor power than distance vector protocols. This makes it expensive to use for organizations with small budgets and legacy hardware.
• They require strict hierarchical network design, so that a network can be broken into smaller areas to reduce the size of the topology tables.
• They require an administrator who understands the protocols well.
• They flood the network with LSAs during the initial discovery process. This process can significantly decrease the capability of the network to transport data. It can noticeably degrade the network performance.

The next page will continue the comparison of link-state and distance vector protocols.e