Hewlett-Packard Co says that its network-routing protocol, Open Shortest Path First, is expected to be available this quarter on EtherTwist routers, and it plans to incorporate Switched Multimegabit Data Service in a future router once the service becomes widely available; the routers are for use in large, multivendor TCP/IP networks in which interoperability and high-speed local area network communications are needed; the new protocol, designed by the OSPF Working Group of the Internet Engineering Task Force, supports interoperability among routers in large networks; it enables users to select the best routing path based on cost, delay and throughput, and offers other network-management capabilities such as area routing and secure routing authentication.
