"The Border Gateway Protocol—a protocol for routing packets between autonomous systems.7 This protocol is used by routers located at network nodes to direct traffic across the Internet. Typically, routers that use this protocol maintain a routing table that lists all feasible paths to a particular network. They also determine metrics associated with each path (such as cost, stability, and speed), so that the best available path can be chosen. This protocol is important because if a certain path becomes unavailable, the system will send data over the next best path." -- Internet Infrastructure: DHS Faces Challenges in Developing a Joint Public/Private Recovery Plan, GAO Report 06-672, p 7 (June 2006)
History
"NSFNET introduced a complexity into the Internet, which the existing network protocols could not handle. Up to the NSFNET, the Internet consisted basically of the ARPAnet, with client networks stubbed off the ARPAnet backbone. I.e., the hierarchy between so-called Autonomous Systems (AS) was linear, with no loops/meshes, with the Exterior Gateway Protocol (EGP) used for for inter-AS routing carrying the AS Number of the routing neighbor. This made it impossible to detect loops in an environment where two or more separate national backbones with multiple interconnections exist, specifically the ARPAnet and the NSFNET. I defined that I needed an additional "previous" AS Number for the inter-AS routing to allow supporting a meshed Internet with many administrations for its components. Meetings with various constituents did not get us anywhere, and I needed it quickly, rather then creating a multi-year research project. In the end, Yakov Rekhter (IBM/NSFNET) and Kirk Lougheed (Cisco) designed a superset of what I needed on three napkins alongside an IETF meeting that included not just the "previous" AS Number but all previous AS numbers that an IP network number route had encountered since its origin. This protocol was called the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) and versions of it are in use to this day to hold the Internet together. BGP used the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) to make itself reliable. Use of TCP as well as general "not invented here" caused great problems with the rest of the Internet community, which we somewhat ignored as we had a pressing need, and soon with NSFNET, Cisco and gated implementations at hand, the Internet community did not have much of a choice. Eventually and after long arguments, BGP got adopted by the IETF." [Braun]
Draft Special Publication 800-54, Border Gateway Protocol Security
NIST announces the release of draft SP 800-54, Border Gateway Protocol Security. This document introduces the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), explains its importance to the Internet, and provides a set of best practices that can help in protecting BGP. Best practices described here are intended to be implementable on nearly all currently available BGP routers without requiring installation of new protocols. To improve the security of BGP routers, a series of recommendations are made. NIST requests public comments on SP 800-54 by November 30, 2006. Please submit comments to sp800-54comments@nist.gov with "Comments SP800-54" in the subject line
- NIST Special Publication 800-54 Border Gateway Protocol (BGP),, NIST 7/18/2007
- Special Publication 800-54 Draft Version 2, Border Gateway Protocol Security, NIST 6/5/2007
- "The Need for Routing in Complex Networking Systems or Why a Border Gateway Protocol," Hans Werner Braun, Jessica Yu, NSFNET LINK LETTER, Vol. 2, No. 4, September 1989
Links
- BGPlay (route visualization tool)
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