Link-state routing protocols perform in a very different way from distance vector protocols. Understanding the difference between distance vector and link-state protocols is vital for network administrators. One essential difference is that distance vector protocols use a simpler method of exchanging routing information. Figure outlines the characteristics of both distance vector and link-state routing protocols.
Link-state routing algorithms maintain a complex database of topology information. While the distance vector algorithm has nonspecific information about distant networks and no knowledge of distant routers, a link-state routing algorithm maintains full knowledge of distant routers and how they interconnect.
outlines the characteristics of both distance vector and link-state routing protocols. 
