BGP demystified

Description

BGP training course description

A study of BGP for non engineers working in the Internet. The course starts with a review of the basics of routers and routing tables and then moves on to a simple overview of how BPG works with a focus on BGP metrics influencing the route traffic takes through the Internet. Hands on with routers follow the major sessions to reinforce the theory. Note these hands on sessions are more demonstrations by the trainer but some can be followed along and done by delegates (e.g. looking at Internet routing tables.)

What will you learn

• Explain how routing tables influence Internet traffic.
• Describe how BGP works.
• Explain the methods BGP can use to influence Internet traffic.
• Use traceroute, peeringdb, route collectors and looking glasses to analyse traffic flows.
• Explain the difference between bi lateral and multilateral peering using a route server.

BGP training course details

BGP training course contents

• Networks, routers and routing tables

What is a network, what is a router, routing tables, static routes, routing protocols. When an ISP uses static routes and when they use BGP. IP addresses, subnet masks, groups of IP addresses. IPv6. Hands on: Showing a full routing table. Seeing traceroute being used.

• Basic BGP

What's BGP? BGP versus other routing protocols, ASs, AS numbers. RIPE database, peeringdb. Hands on: Finding AS numbers. Showing simple BGP configuration and routing tables in an EVENG example.

• How BGP works

Simple walk through of BGP incremental updates and how routes change when links go down. Hands on: Showing packets and route changes when a link goes down/comes up.

• BGP path selection

Transit, peering, routing policy and route filtering. Longest matching rule in routing tables, route selection order, Local preference, AS prepend, MEDs. Hands on: Seeing BGP influencing traffic. Looking at peering policies in RIPE and peeringdb.

• Route servers

What are route servers? LINX route servers, route server policy control and communities, What are route collectors, Looking glasses. Hands on: Seeing the LINX route server details in peeringdb, using a looking glass.