Explanation/Reference:
Link State Routing Protocols
Reference 1:
http://www.ciscopress.com/articles/article.asp?p=24090&seqNum=4
Explanation:
Link state protocols, sometimes called shortest path first or distributed database protocols, are built around a well-known algorithm from graph theory, E W Dijkstra'a shortest path algorithm. Examples of link state routing protocols are:
Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) for IP


The ISO's Intermediate System to Intermediate System (IS-IS) for CLNS and IP


DEC's DNA Phase V


Novell's NetWare Link Services Protocol (NLSP)

Although link state protocols are rightly considered more complex than distance vector protocols, the basic functionality is not complex at all:
1. Each router establishes a relationship-an adjacency-with each of its neighbors.
2. Each router sends link state advertisements (LSAs), some
3. Each router stores a copy of all the LSAs it has seen in a database. If all works well, the databases in all routers should be identical.
4. The completed topological database, also called the link state database, describes a graph of the internetwork. Using the Dijkstra algorithm, each router calculates the shortest path to each network and enters this information into the route table.
OSPF Tutorial
Reference 2:
http://www.9tut.com/ospf-routing-protocol-tutorial