Which of the following is an example of an Interior Gateway Protocol?

An Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP) is a type of routing protocol used to exchange routing information within a single autonomous system. In this context, OSPF, or Open Shortest Path First, is a well-known IGP that utilizes a link-state routing algorithm to maintain accurate routing information.

OSPF is designed to support larger and more complex network environments compared to simpler IGPs, and it efficiently calculates the shortest path to each destination by maintaining a complete view of the network topology. This allows for faster convergence and better scalability. OSPF also uses areas to optimize routing traffic and reduce the size of routing tables.

In contrast, BGP is classified as an Exterior Gateway Protocol (EGP) and is used for routing between different autonomous systems on the internet. RIP, while also an IGP, is less efficient and frequently outperformed by OSPF in larger networks, primarily due to its distance-vector approach and limitations in scalability. ICMP, on the other hand, is a network-layer protocol used for error reporting and diagnostic functions, not routing. Thus, OSPF stands out as a robust example of an Interior Gateway Protocol.