OSPF for the Real World - From Zero to Hero (Udemy.com)
A Modern, Practical training course designed to create competent OSPF engineers. More real world than CCNA or CCNP.
Created by: Experts with David Bombal
Last updated July 2023
What you will learn
- OSPF Concepts and Theory
- Configuring OSPF
- Verifying OSPF operation
- OSPF on Cisco Routers
Quality Score
No CourseDuck member has rated this course yet. Taken it? Give each part a thumbs up or down.
Overall Score : 96 / 100
Course Description
OSPF , or the Open Shortest Path First protocol, is the most common interior Routing Protocol in Networking. The only other protocol that comes close is IS-IS, and that protocol shares many of the fundamental concepts with OSPF.
Understanding the full depth of OSPF will help you:
Pass Certification Exams (CCNA, CCNP, JNCIA, JNCIP, etc...)
Conquer Job interviews for Network Engineering positions
Succeed and Excel in Network Engineer roles
This course is a modern, practical training series covering the full scope of OSPF. The stated goal of the series is to take anyone with a basic understanding of Networking and Routing, and make them a competent OSPF engineer.
The course will cover the most important (and most confusing) parts of OSPF:
OSPF Areas
OSPF LSAs
OSPF Neighbor Adjacency States
DR / BDR Operation
OSPF Metric Calculation
OSPF Network Types
OSPF Area Types
OSPF Configuration and Verification commands
The course focuses on practical training -- most of the lessons involve configurations and demonstrations for the concepts that are taught.
There is particular emphasis on teaching the difference between verifying a devices configuration vs a devices operation. Every competent engineer must understand the difference between these two items.
The main thing that sets this course apart is the simplicity in which everything is explained an illustrated. You will be hard pressed to find better explanations of all the various OSPF concepts above.
Instructor Details
- 4.8 Rating
1,173 Reviews
Experts with David Bombal
David Bombal, together with some of the best minds in the industry is offering courses on a wide range of topics including networking, programming and software development. Our team has decades of experience teaching students from all over the world.
Together we can do more!
David Bombal (CCIE #11023 Emeritus) passed his Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert Routing and Switching exam in January 2003 and is one of a small percentage of Cisco Engineers that pass their CCIE labs on their first attempt.
David qualified as a Cisco Certified Systems Instructor (CCSI #22787) many years ago! He has been training Cisco courses for over 15 years and has delivered instructor led courses in various countries around the world covering a wide range of Cisco topics from CCNA to CCIE.
He has also personally developed Cisco engineer utilities such as the VPN Config Generator, software, training materials, EBooks, videos and other products which are used throughout the world.
David has designed, implemented and managed networks ranging from single sites to those that span 50 countries.
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Reviews
By Michael Fiebelkorn on 8/20/2026
Great course. Very precise explanations, and every concept is demonstrated in practice — from building stub and totally stubby areas to configuring NSSA and verifying LSA types directly in the OSPF database. Couldn't recommend it more.
By Brett Parras on 4/16/2026
I’m honestly surprised this course has anything less than a 5-star rating. It’s one of the best OSPF courses I’ve come across, whether on Udemy or any other platform. The concepts are explained clearly and in a very practical way, which made a big difference in my understanding. Thank you to the instructor for creating such a valuable course — I really appreciate the effort behind it.
By Nick Mahida on 6/6/2025
I recently completed this course and I found it incredibly useful. Great job breaking down complex OSPF concepts into clear, easy-to-understand modules. The course covered both the theory and practical aspects of OSPF, with lab demonstrations that helped reinforce what I was learning. What I appreciated the most was the real-world approach — instead of just textbook definitions, used examples, scenarios, and packet captures to show how OSPF works in actual networks. The labs using Cisco IOS on GNS3 were especially helpful in building confidence with configuration and troubleshooting. Whether you're preparing for a certification or want to strengthen your routing fundamentals, this course is a great choice. It’s practical, well-paced, and packed with valuable insights. Highly recommended! and Thank you so much!
By Kiril Kirov on 11/17/2024
Absolutely amazing course, loved it! It provides you with enough information to be able to perform your duties as a network engineer. Strongly recommend this course for anyone who needs new OSPF knowledge or a refresher course!
By Anonymized User on 6/18/2024
The instructor is really good explaining the topics, the information was very visual that helped me a lot to understand and the practical part was amazing really demonstrative, hoping there area more courses with the same instructor about more ccna topics.
By Abdulla Albraheem on 5/1/2024
I recently completed this great course, and I can confidently say it's one of the best resources available for mastering OSPF. Ed's approach to teaching complex networking concepts is clear, concise, and incredibly effective. Overall, I highly recommend "OSPF for the Real World - From Zero to Hero" to anyone looking to master OSPF. Whether you're a beginner just starting out in the field of networking or an experienced engineer looking to deepen your knowledge, this course has something to offer everyone. Ed Harmoush's expertise and passion for networking shine through in every lecture, making this course a must-take for anyone serious about advancing their networking skills.
By Sydney Zapata on 7/28/2023
This course is so informative in an easy-to-understand way. The use of different colors really helps me understand things and put them together as I am a very visual learner. Awesome course, definitely recommend. Thank you!!!
By Ralph Anthony Gabinete on 7/16/2023
Couldn't be explained better than this. All topics are on point. Great presentation and the Information is easy to digest the way he delivered it. I wish there could be more such as redistribution from other Dynamic routing protocols, prefix-lists, and OSPFv3. Overall, I'm satisfied with the content and learned a lot. Looking forward to more courses from you. Thank you, Ed!
By Avinash Vamshi Hanumanthu on 7/12/2023
the course was neat, easy to understand and follow. It has cleared some of the confusions I had regarding the OSPF. thanks and appreciate the effort you put into the course
By David Wickline on 7/6/2023
I think the course is really great. Presenter is easy to understand and well-explains the key takeaways from each lesson. I like the YouTube links to go watch a supplemental video as well. The only item I would suggest is to have a better materials packet for all commands and abbreviations for quicker reference throughout the course and to use when practicing on your own. If it is available, then it was not clearly marked that I found it. Thanks!











