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Cisco Nexus 7000 Series NX-OS Unicast Routing Configuration Guide, Release 4.x
OL-20002-02
Chapter 7      Configuring OSPFv3
Licensing Requirements for OSPFv3
Multiple OSPFv3 Instances
Cisco NX-OS supports multiple instances of the OSPFv3 protocol. By default, every instance uses the 
same system router ID. You must manually configure the router ID for each instance if the instances are 
in the same OSPFv3 autonomous system. 
The OSPFv3 header includes an instance ID field to identify that OSPFv3 packet for a particular OSPFv3 
instance. You can assign the OSPFv3 instance. The interface drops all OSPFv3 packets that do not have 
a matching OSPFv3 instance ID in the packet header. 
Cisco NX-OS allows only one OSPFv3 instance on an interface.
SPF Optimization
Cisco NX-OS optimizes the SPF algorithm in the following ways:
• Partial SPF for Network (type 2) LSAs, Inter-Area Prefix (type 3) LSAs, and AS External (type 5) 
LSAs—When there is a change on any of these LSAs, Cisco NX-OS performs a faster partial 
calculation rather than running the whole SPF calculation.
• SPF timers—You can configure different timers for controlling SPF calculations. These timers 
include exponential backoff for subsequent SPF calculations. The exponential backoff limits the 
CPU load of multiple SPF calculations.
Virtualization Support
OSPFv3 supports Virtual Routing and Forwarding instances (VRFs). VRFs exist within virtual device 
contexts (VDCs). By default, Cisco NX-OS places you in the default VDC and default VRF unless you 
specifically configure another VDC and VRF. Each OSPFv3 instance can support multiple VRFs, up to 
the system limit. For more information, see the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series NX-OS Virtual Device Context 
Configuration Guide, Release 4.xand see Chapter 14, “Configuring Layer 3 Virtualization.” 
Licensing Requirements for OSPFv3
The following table shows the licensing requirements for this feature:
Prerequisites for OSPFv3
OSPFv3 has the following prerequisites:
• You must be familiar with routing fundamentals to configure OSPFv3. 
• You must be logged on to the switch.
• You have configured at least one interface for IPv6 that is capable of communicating with a remote 
OSPFv3 neighbor.
• You have installed the Enterprise Services license.
Product License Requirement
NX-OS OSPFv3 requires an Enterprise Services license. For a complete explanation of the NX-OS licensing scheme 
and how to obtain and apply licenses, see the Cisco NX-OS Licensing Guide.