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BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) : How Does BGP Work?

Border Gateway Protocol

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7 views4 pages

BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) : How Does BGP Work?

Border Gateway Protocol

Uploaded by

shreyadc6
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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BGP (Border Gateway Protocol)

BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) is the protocol underlying the global


routing system of the internet. It manages how packets get routed from
network to network through the exchange of routing and reachability
information among edge routers. BGP directs packets between
autonomous systems (AS), which are networks managed by a single
enterprise or service provider.

BGP creates network stability by guaranteeing routers can adapt to route


failures: when one path goes down, a new path is quickly found. BGP
makes routing decisions based on paths, defined by rules or network
policies set by network administrators.

How does BGP work?


Each router maintains a routing table controlling how packets are directed.
Routing table information is generated by the BGP process on the router,
based on incoming information from other routers, and information in the
BGP routing information base (RIB), which is a data table stored on a
server on the BGP router. The RIB contains information both from directly
connected external peers, as well as internal peers, and based on policies
for what routes should be used and what information should be published,
continually updates the routing table as changes occur.

What is BGP used for?


BGP offers network stability that guarantees routers can quickly adapt to send
packets through another reconnection if one internet path goes down. BGP makes
routing decisions based on paths, rules or network policies configured by a
network administrator. Each BGP router maintains a standard routing table used to
direct packets in transit. BGP uses client-server topology to communicate routing
information, with the client-server initiating a BGP session by sending a request to
the server.
BGP routing basics
BGP sends updated router table information only when something changes, and
only the affected information. BGP has no automatic discovery mechanism, which
means connections between peers must be set up manually, with peer addresses
programmed in at both ends.

BGP makes best-path decisions based on current reachability, hop counts and other
path characteristics. In situations where multiple paths are available -- as within a
major hosting facility -- BGP policies communicate an organization's preferences
for what path traffic should follow in and out. BGP community tags can control
route advertisement behavior among peers.

BGP in networking is based on TCP/IP. It operates on the OSI Transport Layer


(Layer 4) to control the Network Layer (Layer 3). As described in RFC4271 and
ratified in 2006, the current version of BGP-4 supports both IPv6 and Classless
Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR), which enables the continued viability of IPv4. Use
of the CIDR is a way to have more addresses within the network than with the
current IP address assignment scheme.

Common BGP issues


Common issues with BGP include information exchange failures. Information
exchanges don't always succeed as information can be improperly formatted or
contain incorrect data. Routers can run out of memory or storage, or be too slow to
respond to updates. Routers send error codes and subcodes to communicate
problems including timeouts, malformed requests and processing problems.

BGP security
BGP is also vulnerable to attacks based on misinformation. Malicious actors can
flood a router with bad packets in a denial-of-service attack, for example. They can
also claim to be the source of routing information for an AS, and (temporarily)
control where traffic headed from that AS goes, a practice known as
BGP hijacking.
Difference between internal and external BGP, OSPF
When BGP is used to route within a single AS, it is called internal BGP, or iBGP.
When used to connect one AS to others, it is called external BGP, or eBGP.

The OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) protocol is used only in internal networks.
OSPF is focused on finding the shortest route available between nodes, and on
failing over to that shortest route as quickly as possible. BGP is slower to fail to a
new route but is more scalable. OSPF is essentially hierarchical in structure, while
BGP is a mesh. Some networks are replacing OSPF with iBGP.

BGP- Border Gateway Protocol


• It makes internet work.
• Standardized exterior gateway protocol
• Designed to exchange routing and reach ability of info b/w autonomous systems.
• Often classified as a path vector protocol.
• BGP makes routing decisions based on paths , n/w policies or rule – sets configured by a
n/w administrator & is involved in making core routing decisions.
• BGP makes use of routing within an autonomous system(AS).
• It is one the most complex and difficult to configure protocol but its emphasis on security
and scalability makes its usage essential.

1. Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) is an External Gateway Protocol (EGP), which


means it is designed to act as a routing protocol on the edge of your network,
passing routing information about the structure of your network behind your
gateway router.
2. This information can then be sent on to other BGP routers, informing them which
networks are found behind the BGP router. A BGP router announces routes that
they have learned and can also retransmit routes learned from the IGPs found on
their networks, as illustrated in the following figure.
3. BGP’s purpose is not only to exchange its information, but also to exchange
network reachability and availability information for the Autonomous Systems (AS)
paths with other BGP systems on the network. This process allows all systems to
construct topology graphs of the entire network infrastructure on both sides of the
BGP link.
4. This process also allows these systems to identify loops and other issues that may
affect network performance and availability.

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