2026-03-19 · Marcus Yi
OSPF Areas and the Art of Saying No
OSPFdesigncommunication
Every new VLAN does not deserve its own area. The cost is not only LSAs—it is human attention during outages. When product teams insist on autonomy, translate their ask into convergence risk and support hours.
Use diagrams that show blast radius, not just address space. Executives understand circles more than LSA types.
Pair your refusal with an alternative: summarization, selective leaking, or a documented exception path. People accept boundaries when they see another door.
We practice these conversations in the Advanced Routing Design Charrette because memos land better than hallway debates. Bring sanitized sketches; leave drama at home.