We describe and analyse in details the various factors that influence the convergence time of intradomain link state routing protocols. This convergence time reflects the time required by a network to react to the failure of a link or a router. To characterise the convergence process, we first use detailed measurements to determine the time required to perform the various operations of a link state protocol on currently deployed routers. We then build a simulation model based on those measurements and use it to study the convergence time in large networks. Our measurements and simulations indicate that sub-second link-state IGP convergence can be easily met on an ISP network without any compromise on stability. Categories and Subject Descriptors C.2.2 [Network Protocols]: Routing protocols; C.2.6 [Internetworking]: Routers General Terms Measurement, Experimentation, Performance Keywords Intradomain routing, IS-IS, OSPF, convergence time