Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of link-state routing protocols?

Link-state routing protocols are designed to maintain a map of the network topology, allowing routers to make informed decisions about the best paths for routing data. The distinguishing feature of these protocols is that they do not send complete routing tables to their neighbors. Instead, each router shares information about its directly connected links and status of those links, which is sufficient for others to build a complete picture of the network.

When network changes occur, such as link failures or new links being added, link-state protocols will disseminate updates to all routers through link-state advertisements, ensuring that every router can maintain an accurate and up-to-date view of the network topology. This is aligned with the characteristic of updating information based on network changes.

Additionally, link-state protocols discover their neighboring routers using Hello packets, which is a mechanism that allows routers to identify and maintain relationships with nearby routers.

Finally, because each router uses the received link-state information to independently construct a consistent view of the entire network, link-state protocols ensure a synchronized understanding of the network's structure.