TELECOM ESSENTIALS
BGP Autonomous Systems transition: The 10 biggest concerns
Ivan Pepelnjak, IP expert
10.24.2008
Rating: --- (out of 5)
|
Recently I had a meeting with a visibly nervous enterprise customer who got extremely upset by an alarming announcement from his regional Internet registry (RIR) explaining that the Autonomous System (AS) number format used by Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), one of the Internet's core protocols, will change in a few months. The customer is multi-homed to two Internet Service Providers (ISPs), and his two obvious questions were: What do I have to do about it, and is the equipment I bought supporting this change?
Yes, it's true that the pool of BGP Autonomous System numbers is being depleted. The Internet community has decided to replace 2-byte AS numbers with 4-byte AS numbers, while at the same time guaranteeing indefinite backward compatibility with old equipment. In two years, you or your customers will probably not be able to get a 2-byte AS number, and you should start preparing for that.
In most cases, you will have to upgrade your routers and your network management software before you can suppo
To continue reading for free, register below or login
To read more you must become a member of SearchTelecom.com
rt 4-byte AS numbers. But most equipment vendors aren't ready for the change, so use whatever leverage you have to push them to implement it before it's too late.
If you're going to have a conversation about the changes with a customer or your boss in the near future, here are some of the typical questions raised during a transition like this and answers that will probably help you calm anxious execs during the impending transition to a new Autonomous System number format.
About the author: Ivan Pepelnjak, CCIE No. 1354, is a 25-year veteran of the networking industry. He has more than 10 years of experience in designing, installing, troubleshooting and operating large service provider and enterprise WAN and LAN networks and is currently chief technology advisor at NIL Data Communications, focusing on advanced IP-based networks and Web technologies. His books include MPLS and VPN Architectures and EIGRP Network Design. Check out Ivan's blog "Cisco IOS hints and tricks" for more on telecom topics.
|
|
|
|
|
|
