Cisco APIC Layer 3 Networking Configuration Guide, Release 6.2(x)

OSPF max-metric

Updated: April 17, 2026

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Describes how OSPF max-metric reduces a router's preference as a transit path by advertising locally generated LSAs with maximum metric values.

OSPF max-metric is a route-selection control that

advertises locally generated link-state advertisements (LSAs) with maximum metric values,
makes a router less preferable as a transit path, and
diverts transit traffic during switch startup until the switch is ready to forward traffic.

Configuration guidelines and limitations

The following guidelines apply to an OSPF max-metric policy:

Tenant placement: Create the policy in the common tenant or a user tenant.
Controls and metric range: Select External LSAs, Stub Links, or Summary LSAs. Enter a max-metric value from 1 through 16777215.
Metric application: The configured max-metric value applies only to external and summary LSAs. Router LSAs and router LSAs for stub networks use the fixed max-metric value 65535.
Default control behavior: If you enable the policy without selecting a control, only router LSAs for nonstub networks use the max-metric value.
Startup behavior: Select On Startup to advertise the max-metric only for the configured Startup Interval Time after the switch starts. Without this control, all OSPF-enabled border leaf switches in the VRF advertise the max-metric.
VRF association: Associate the policy with each VRF that requires max-metric advertisement.
Switch support: Deploy the policy only on border leaf switches.
Infrastructure tenant: The policy is not supported in the infrastructure tenant or for the overlay-1 VRF. Overload mode is enabled implicitly on the provider edge (PE) for the overlay-1 VRF.

The following limitations apply:

BGP convergence: The wait-for-bgp option is not supported because of a BGP limitation in Cisco ACI.
OSPFv3: Cisco APIC release 6.1(4) does not support the OSPF max-metric policy for OSPFv3.

Create an OSPF max-metric policy using the GUI

Use an OSPF max-metric policy to limit transit traffic through a router for a specified period, such as while the router completes its startup process.

Procedure

On the menu bar, choose Tenants.
In the navigation pane, expand tenant-name > Policies > Protocol > OSPF.
Right-click OSPF Max-Metric, and choose Create OSPF Max-Metric Policy.

The Create Max-Metric Link State Advertisement per Domain/VRF dialog box opens.
In the Name field, enter a name for the policy.
Select the required maximum metric controls:
1. Optional: Select External LSAs to advertise external LSAs with the maximum metric.
2. Optional: Select On Startup to advertise the maximum metric for a specified period after the router starts.
3. Optional: Select Stub Links to advertise stub links with the maximum metric.
4. Optional: Select Summary LSAs to advertise summary LSAs with the maximum metric.
If you do not select External LSAs, Stub Links, or Summary LSAs, the system advertises only router LSAs with the maximum metric. If you select any of these controls, the system advertises the corresponding LSAs and router LSAs with the maximum metric.
If you selected External LSAs, enter a metric in the Maximum metric value for external LSAs field.

The default value is 65,535. The range is 1 through 16,777,215. When max-metric is enabled, the router always advertises router LSAs with a metric of 65,535.
If you selected Summary LSAs, enter a metric in the Maximum metric value for summary LSAs field.

The default value is 65,535. The range is 1 through 16,777,215.
If you selected On Startup, enter the advertisement period in the Startup Interval Time (in secs) field.

The default value is 600 seconds. The range is 5 through 86,400 seconds.
Click Submit.

The OSPF max-metric policy appears under Protocol > OSPF > OSPF Max-Metric.

Tip

You can also create the policy in the Create VRF wizard. In step 1, select Configure OSPF Policies. In step 2, choose Create OSPF Max-Metric Policy from the OSPF Max-Metric drop-down list.

The OSPF max-metric policy is created and available for association with a VRF.

Verify OSPF max-metric policy configurations

Use the CLI to confirm that the OSPF routing process is originating router LSAs with the maximum metric.

Procedure

Run the show ip ospf vrf vrf-name command on the leaf switch.

Example:

nextaci1-leaf1# show ip ospf vrf ospf_max-metric:ospf_vrf_backbone
            Routing Process default with ID 101.101.101.101 VRF ospf_max-metric:ospf_vrf_backbone
            Routing Process Instance Number 1
            Stateful High Availability enabled
            Graceful-restart helper mode is enabled
            Supports only single TOS(TOS0) routes
            Supports opaque LSA
            This router is an autonomous system boundary
            Maximum number of non self-generated LSA allowed 20000
            (feature configured but inactive)
            Current number of non self-generated LSA 2
            Threshold for warning message 75%
            Ignore-time 5 minutes, reset-time 10 minutes
            Ignore-count allowed 5, current ignore-count 0
            Table-map using route-map exp-ctx-2818053-deny-external-tag
            Redistributing External Routes from
            static route-map exp-ctx-st-2818053
            direct route-map exp-ctx-st-2818053
            bgp-100 route-map exp-ctx-proto-2818053
            eigrp-default route-map exp-ctx-proto-2818053
            coop route-map exp-ctx-st-2818053
            Administrative distance 110
            Reference Bandwidth is 40000 Mbps
            SPF throttling delay time of 200.000 msecs,
            SPF throttling hold time of 1000.000 msecs,
            SPF throttling maximum wait time of 5000.000 msecs
            LSA throttling start time of 0.000 msecs,
            LSA throttling hold interval of 5000.000 msecs,
            LSA throttling maximum wait time of 5000.000 msecs
            Minimum LSA arrival 1000.000 msec
            LSA group pacing timer 10 secs
            Maximum paths to destination 8
            Originating router LSA with maximum metric
            Condition: Always
            Number of external LSAs 1, checksum sum 0x5c0e
            Number of opaque AS LSAs 0, checksum sum 0

Verify that the output includes Originating router LSA with maximum metric and that the reported condition matches the policy configuration. In this example, the condition is Always.

The command output confirms whether the OSPF max-metric policy is active for the specified VRF.

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