Day 1: Introduction and Basic Concepts
Introduction to BGP
Overview of Internet Routing
Importance of BGP in the Internet
BGP Basics
BGP Terminology
BGP vs IGP (Interior Gateway Protocols)
BGP Path Selection Process
BGP Operations
Establishing BGP Sessions (eBGP vs iBGP)
BGP Neighbor Relationships
BGP Message Types (Open, Update, Notification, Keepalive)
Basic BGP Configuration
Configuring BGP on Routers
Verifying BGP Configuration
Basic Troubleshooting
Day 2: BGP Attributes and Policies
BGP Path Attributes
AS Path
Next Hop
Local Preference
MED (Multi-Exit Discriminator)
Origin
Community
BGP Route Policies
Route Filtering with Prefix Lists and Route Maps
BGP Policy Implementation using Route Maps
Influencing BGP Path Selection
BGP Route Aggregation
Purpose and Benefits of Route Aggregation
Configuring BGP Route Aggregation
Aggregate Route Advertisement
Day 3: Advanced BGP Features and Scaling
Advanced BGP Features
BGP Confederations
BGP Route Reflectors
BGP Multipath
BGP Graceful Restart
BGP Scaling Techniques
iBGP Full Mesh Challenges
Route Reflectors for Scaling iBGP
Confederations for Large-Scale BGP Deployments
BGP in Service Provider Networks
BGP in ISP Environments
BGP Peering Strategies
BGP Community Use Cases in ISPs
Day 1: Introduction and Basic Concepts
Introduction to BGP
Overview of Internet Routing
Importance of BGP in the Internet
BGP Basics
BGP Terminology
BGP vs IGP (Interior Gateway Protocols)
BGP Path Selection Process
BGP Operations
Establishing BGP Sessions (eBGP vs iBGP)
BGP Neighbor Relationships
BGP Message Types (Open, Update, Notification, Keepalive)
Basic BGP Configuration
Configuring BGP on Routers
Verifying BGP Configuration
Basic Troubleshooting
Topology
e AS 100
/24 1/0 sw110 1/2 19
e 2.
0 .0 16
.10 8 .1
168 01
92. .0
/
1 e1 24
/2 /2
e1
e2/0 e2/0
sw101 sw102
e0/0
e0/0
192.168.200.0/24 192.168.202.0/24
AS 200 AS 300
e0/3
e0/3
r11 r12
e0/1 192.168.201.0/24 e0/1
Introduction and Basic Concepts of BGP with Configuration
Using the provided network topology, we will explore and configure
the essential concepts of Border Gateway Protocol (BGP).
Network Topology Overview
AS 100: Contains SW110, SW101, SW102
AS 200: Contains R11
AS 300: Contains R12
Introduction to BGP
Overview of Internet Routing:
BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) is the protocol used to route traffic
across the internet.
It is essential for inter-domain routing, connecting different
autonomous systems (AS).
Importance of BGP in the Internet:
BGP is the protocol that makes the internet work by sharing routing
information between different ASes.
It allows for policies to be implemented to control the flow of traffic.
BGP Basics
BGP Terminology:
AS (Autonomous System): A collection of IP networks and routers
under a single technical administration.
eBGP (External BGP): BGP sessions between routers in different ASes.
iBGP (Internal BGP): BGP sessions between routers in the same AS.
BGP vs IGP (Interior Gateway Protocols):
BGP: Used for routing between ASes.
IGP: Used for routing within an AS (e.g., OSPF, EIGRP).
BGP Path Selection Process:
Prefer the path with the highest Weight (Cisco-specific).
Prefer the path with the highest Local Preference.
Prefer the path that was originated by the BGP router (network or aggregate).
Prefer the path with the shortest AS_PATH.
Prefer the path with the lowest origin type (IGP < EGP < incomplete).
Prefer the path with the lowest MED (Multi-Exit Discriminator).
Prefer eBGP over iBGP paths.
Prefer the path with the lowest IGP metric to the BGP next hop.
Prefer the oldest path (longest-lived).
Prefer the path with the lowest Router ID.
Prefer the path with the lowest Neighbor IP address.
BGP Operations:
Establishes a TCP session on port 179.
Exchanges routing information through BGP messages.
Comparison Table: iBGP vs eBGP (Part 1)
Comparison Table: iBGP vs eBGP (Part 2)
Establishing BGP Sessions (eBGP vs iBGP)
BGP Neighbor Relationships:
eBGP: Between routers in different ASes.
iBGP: Between routers in the same AS.
BGP Message Types:
Open: Establishes a BGP session.
Update: Advertises new routes or withdraws old ones.
Notification: Indicates an error in a BGP session.
Keepalive: Keeps the BGP session active.
Part 1: Basic Information
Part 2: Detailed Attributes and Examples
Basic BGP Configuration Configuring BGP on Routers:
Step 1: Configuring BGP on R11 (AS 200) Step 2: Configuring BGP on R12 (AS 300)
router bgp 200 router bgp 300
bgp log-neighbor-changes bgp log-neighbor-changes
neighbor 192.168.2.1 remote-as 300 neighbor 192.168.2.2 remote-as 200
neighbor 192.168.1.1 remote-as 100 neighbor 192.168.3.1 remote-as 100
network 192.168.200.0 mask 255.255.255.0 network 192.168.300.0 mask 255.255.255.0
Step 3: Configuring BGP on SW110 (AS 100) Step 4: Configuring BGP on SW101 (AS 100)
router bgp 100 router bgp 100
bgp log-neighbor-changes
bgp log-neighbor-changes
neighbor 192.168.1.2 remote-as 200
neighbor 192.168.3.2 remote-as 300 neighbor 192.168.100.1 remote-as 100
neighbor 192.168.100.2 remote-as 100 neighbor 192.168.100.3 remote-as 100
neighbor 192.168.100.3 remote-as 100
network 192.168.100.0 mask 255.255.255.0
Step 5: Configuring BGP on SW102 (AS 100)
router bgp 100
bgp log-neighbor-changes
neighbor 192.168.100.1 remote-as 100
neighbor 192.168.100.2 remote-as 100
Verifying BGP Configuration
Step 1: Verify BGP Neighbors
show ip bgp summary
Step 2: Verify BGP Routes
show ip bgp
Common Troubleshooting Steps
Check BGP Neighbors:
Verify that BGP neighbor relationships are established correctly.
Verify IP Connectivity:
Ensure that the routers can reach each other at the IP level.
Check BGP Configuration:
Validate the BGP configuration on each router, including AS numbers,
neighbor IP addresses, and policies.
Review BGP Attributes:
Inspect BGP attributes to ensure the correct path selection.
Monitor BGP Updates:
Use BGP debug commands to monitor BGP updates and error messages.
Troubleshooting Commands
Check BGP Neighbors
show ip bgp summary
This command shows the status of BGP neighbors. Look for the state (should be Established).
Verify IP Connectivity
ping <neighbor_ip>
Use this command to check if the router can reach its BGP neighbors.
Check BGP Configuration
show run | section bgp
This command displays the BGP configuration to verify the AS numbers, neighbor statements,
and any route policies applied.
Review BGP Attributes
show ip bgp
Displays the BGP table, including path attributes. Check the AS path, next hop, and
other attributes for correctness.
Monitor BGP Updates
debug ip bgp updates
Enables debugging of BGP updates to see the BGP messages exchanged between neighbors. Use
with caution in production environments.
Specific Troubleshooting Steps for Each Router
Router SW101 (AS 100)
Check BGP Neighbors:
show ip bgp summary
Verify IP Connectivity:
ping 192.168.100.2
ping 192.168.101.1
ping 192.168.200.1
Check BGP Configuration:
show run | section bgp
Review BGP Attributes:
show ip bgp
Monitor BGP Updates:
debug ip bgp updates
debug ip bgp updates
Day 2: BGP Attributes and Policies
BGP Path Attributes
AS Path
Next Hop
Local Preference
MED (Multi-Exit Discriminator)
Origin
Community
BGP Route Policies
Route Filtering with Prefix Lists and Route Maps
BGP Policy Implementation using Route Maps
Influencing BGP Path Selection
BGP Route Aggregation
Purpose and Benefits of Route Aggregation
Configuring BGP Route Aggregation
Aggregate Route Advertisement
BGP Path Attributes
1. AS Path
The AS Path attribute lists the AS numbers that a route has
traversed. It helps in loop prevention and path selection.
2. Next Hop
The Next Hop attribute indicates the IP address that should be used
as the next hop to reach a particular destination.
3. Local Preference
The Local Preference attribute is used within an AS to indicate the
preferred path for outgoing traffic. A higher local preference value
is preferred.
4. MED (Multi-Exit Discriminator)
The MED attribute is used to influence the incoming traffic from
different autonomous systems. A lower MED value is preferred.
5. Origin
The Origin attribute indicates the origin of the route, with
possible values being IGP, EGP, or INCOMPLETE.
6. Community
The Community attribute is a tagging mechanism that groups routes
for applying routing policies.
BGP Route Policies
Route Filtering with Prefix Lists and Route Maps
Prefix lists are used to filter routes based on IP prefixes.
Route maps are used to implement more complex policies, allowing for
actions like modifying attributes or denying routes.
BGP Policy Implementation using Route Maps
Route maps can be used to set attributes such as Local Preference,
MED, and others.
Influencing BGP Path Selection
Attributes like Local Preference and MED are used to influence the
path selection process in BGP.
BGP Route Aggregation
Purpose and Benefits of Route Aggregation
Route aggregation reduces the number of routes advertised in
BGP by combining multiple IP prefixes into a single prefix.
Configuring BGP Route Aggregation
Use the aggregate-address command to configure route aggregation.
Aggregate Route Advertisement
Advertise the aggregated route to simplify routing tables and
reduce resource usage.
Part 1: Basic Attributes
Part 2: Usage and Configuration
Use Case for Local Preference
Objective: To influence the outbound traffic from AS 100 to prefer a
specific exit point towards AS 200 or AS 300.
Scenario:
You want Router SW101 to prefer sending traffic to AS 200 over AS 300
for destinations that can be reached via both ASes.
Use Case for MED
Objective: To influence the inbound traffic from AS 200 and AS 300 to
prefer a specific entry point into AS 100.
Scenario:
You want Router SW101 to signal to AS 200 that the preferred path into AS
100 is through a particular link, such as the one connecting SW101 and
R11, by setting a lower MED value on this path.
Configuration Example on Router SW101
Here is how you can configure these attributes on Router SW101 to
achieve the above objectives:
Setting Local Preference to Prefer Traffic to AS 200
This configuration sets a higher Local Preference for routes learned
from AS 200, making them more preferred over routes from AS 300.
Setting MED to Influence Inbound Traffic from AS 200
This configuration sets a lower MED value for routes advertised to
AS 200, making SW101 a preferred entry point into AS 100 for traffic
from AS 200.
Day 3: Advanced BGP Features and Scaling
Advanced BGP Features
BGP Confederations
BGP Route Reflectors
BGP Multipath
BGP Graceful Restart
BGP Scaling Techniques
iBGP Full Mesh Challenges
Route Reflectors for Scaling iBGP
Confederations for Large-Scale BGP Deployments
BGP in Service Provider Networks
BGP in ISP Environments
BGP Peering Strategies
BGP Community Use Cases in ISPs
Advanced BGP Features
BGP Confederations
Definition: BGP Confederations allow a large autonomous system (AS)
to be divided into smaller, manageable sub-ASes. Each sub-AS runs
iBGP internally, and eBGP is used between sub-ASes, simplifying the
configuration and reducing the need for a full mesh.
Use Case: Suitable for large networks with multiple internal divisions,
such as a large ISP.
BGP Route Reflectors
Definition: BGP Route Reflectors (RR) reduce the iBGP full mesh
requirement by allowing a central router (the RR) to redistribute
routes to other iBGP peers. Clients peer with the RR rather than with
every other router.
Use Case: In the given topology, Router SW101 can act as a route
reflector for SW110 and SW102 to avoid full mesh.
BGP Multipath
Definition: BGP Multipath allows the installation of multiple paths
to the same destination into the routing table. This enables load
balancing across multiple links.
Use Case: SW101 can use multipath to load balance traffic across
links to AS 200 and AS 300 if both paths are available and valid.
BGP Graceful Restart
Definition: BGP Graceful Restart enables routers to continue
forwarding packets while the BGP process is restarting, minimizing
disruptions in the network.
Use Case: Useful for maintaining stability during planned maintenance
or software upgrades.
BGP Scaling Techniques iBGP Full Mesh Challenges
Definition: In a full mesh iBGP configuration, every BGP router must
peer with every other BGP router within the same AS. This requirement
scales poorly as the number of routers increases.
Challenges: With n routers, the number of iBGP sessions needed is
which becomes unmanageable in large networks.
Route Reflectors for Scaling iBGP
Definition: Route Reflectors (RR) allow selected routers to redistribute
BGP routes within an AS, reducing the need for a full mesh.
Use Case: In the topology, designating SW101 as a route reflector
can simplify iBGP peering between SW110 and SW102.
Confederations for Large-Scale BGP Deployments
Definition: Confederations divide a large AS into smaller, more manageable
sub-ASes, reducing the complexity of internal BGP peering.
Use Case: In a very large network, AS 100 could be split into multiple
sub-ASes using confederations.
BGP in Service Provider Networks
BGP in ISP Environments
Definition: BGP is widely used by ISPs to manage inter-AS routing
and maintain policies for route selection and propagation.
Key Features: ISPs use BGP to exchange routing information with
other ISPs and large organizations, implementing policies for
traffic engineering and peering.
BGP Peering Strategies
Definition: ISPs use different peering strategies to manage BGP
relationships, including public and private peering, transit
arrangements, and peering agreements.
Use Case: In the topology, AS 200 and AS 300 may have specific
peering agreements to exchange traffic efficiently.
BGP Community Use Cases in ISPs
Definition: BGP Communities are used to group routes and apply policies
based on these groups. They are tags that simplify policy implementation.
Use Case: ISPs use communities to control route advertisements, set local
preferences, and manage customer traffic policies.
Example Configurations and Use Cases in the Topology
BGP Route Reflector Configuration on SW101
router bgp 100
bgp log-neighbor-changes
neighbor 192.168.100.2 remote-as 100
neighbor 192.168.100.2 route-reflector-client
neighbor 192.168.101.1 remote-as 100
neighbor 192.168.101.1 route-reflector-client
BGP Multipath Configuration on SW101
router bgp 100
bgp log-neighbor-changes
neighbor 192.168.200.1 remote-as 200
neighbor 192.168.202.1 remote-as 300
address-family ipv4
maximum-paths 2
BGP Community Use Case on SW101
route-map SET-COMMUNITY permit 10
set community 100:200
!
router bgp 100
neighbor 192.168.200.1 remote-as 200
neighbor 192.168.200.1 route-map SET-COMMUNITY out
Summary
BGP Confederations: Divide a large AS into smaller sub-ASes to reduce complexity.
BGP Route Reflectors: Simplify iBGP peering by using central reflectors
to distribute routes.
BGP Multipath: Enable load balancing by allowing multiple paths to the
same destination.
BGP Graceful Restart: Maintain forwarding state during BGP process
restarts.
iBGP Full Mesh Challenges: Address scalability issues in large iBGP networks.
Route Reflectors for Scaling iBGP: Use reflectors to reduce the full mesh
requirement.
Confederations for Large-Scale Deployments: Implement confederations in
very large networks.
BGP in ISP Environments: Apply BGP for inter-AS routing and policy enforcement.
BGP Peering Strategies: Manage peering relationships and agreements.
BGP Community Use Cases: Simplify policy implementation with community tags.
