Which type of OSPFv2 packet contains an abbreviated list of the LSDB of a sending router?

The type of OSPFv2 packet that contains an abbreviated list of the Link State Database (LSDB) of the sending router is the Database Description packet. This packet is essential during the OSPF routing process, specifically in the OSPF adjacency formation phase.

When two OSPF routers establish a neighbor relationship, they exchange their LSDBs to ensure that both routers have a consistent view of the network. The Database Description packet summarises the contents of the LSDB, which allows the receiving router to determine which Link State Advertisements (LSAs) it already possesses and which ones it may still need. This efficient summarization helps reduce overhead and ensures that only necessary LSAs are requested and exchanged, streamlining the synchronization process between routers.

In contrast, other OSPF packet types serve different purposes—such as maintaining neighbor relationships or routing information exchange. The Link State Update packet is used for transferring the actual LSAs, while the Link State Request packet explicitly requests LSAs that are still needed. The Hello packet is primarily used to discover neighbors and maintain the adjacency state but does not contain LSDB information.