Reference Guide

Figure 100. Autonomous System Areas
Area Types
The backbone of the network is Area 0. It is also called Area 0.0.0.0 and is the core of any AS.
All other areas must connect to Area 0. Areas can be defined in such a way that the backbone is not
contiguous. In this case, backbone connectivity must be restored through virtual links. Virtual links are
configured between any backbone routers that share a link to a non-backbone area and function as if
they were direct links.
An OSPF backbone is responsible for distributing routing information between areas. It consists of all area
border routers, networks not wholly contained in any area, and their attached routers.
The backbone is the only area with a default area number. All other areas can have their Area ID assigned
in the configuration.
In the previous example, Routers A, B, C, G, H, and I are the Backbone.
• A stub area (SA) does not receive external route information, except for the default route. These areas
do receive information from inter-area (IA) routes.
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Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2)