Due to the fact that with IPv6 it is possible to configure many different IP addresses on one interface LSA types for OSPv3 differ from those in OSPFv2 for IPv4.

The following list describes OSPFv3 LSA types, each of which has a different purpose:

• Router LSAs (Type 1)—Describes the link state and costs of a router’s links to the area. These LSAs are flooded within an area only. The LSA indicates if the router is an Area Border Router (ABR) or Autonomous System Boundary Router (ASBR), and if it is one end of a virtual link. Type 1 LSAs are also used to advertise stub networks. In OSPF for IPv6, these LSAs have no address information and are network protocol independent. In OSPF for IPv6, router interface information may be spread across multiple router LSAs. Receivers must concatenate all router LSAs originated by a given router when running the SPF calculation.
• Network LSAs (Type 2)—Describes the link-state and cost information for all routers attached to the network. This LSA is an aggregation of all the link-state and cost information in the network. Only a designated router tracks this information and can generate a network LSA. In OSPF for IPv6, network LSAs have no address information and are network protocol independent.
• Interarea-prefix LSAs for ABRs (Type 3)—Advertises internal networks to routers in other areas (interarea routes). Type 3 LSAs may represent a single network or a set of networks summarised into one advertisement. Only ABRs generate summary LSAs. In OSPF for IPv6, addresses for these LSAs are expressed as prefix, prefix length instead of address, mask. The default route is expressed as a prefix with length 0.
• Interarea-router LSAs for ASBRs (Type 4)—Advertise the location of an ASBR. Routers that are trying to reach an external network use these advertisements to determine the best path to the next hop. ASBRs generate Type 4 LSAs.