BGP: Configuring BGP on Cisco Routers

This course provides students with in-depth knowledge of BGP, the routing protocol that is one of the underlying foundations of the Internet and new-world technologies such as Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS). This curriculum covers the theory of BGP, configuration of BGP on Cisco IOS routers, detailed troubleshooting information and hands-on exercises that provide students with the skills needed to configure and troubleshoot BGP networks in customer environments. Different service solutions in the curriculum cover BGP network design issues and usage rules for various BGP features preparing students to design and implement efficient, optimal and trouble free BGP networks.

• Completion of Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices (ICND1) or Cisco Certified Networking Associate (CCNA)

Upon completion of the course, students should be able to:

• Configure, monitor, and troubleshoot basic BGP to enable inter-domain routing in a network scenario with multiple domains
• Use BGP policy controls to influence the route selection process with minimal impact on BGP route processing in a network scenario where you must support connections to multiple ISPs
• Use BGP attributes to influence the route selection process in a network scenario where you must support multiple connections
• Implement the correct BGP configuration to successfully connect the customer network to the Internet in a network scenario where you must support multiple connections
• Enable the provider network to behave as a transit autonomous system in a typical service provider network with multiple BGP connections to other autonomous systems
• Identify common BGP scaling issues and enable route reflection and confederations as possible solutions to these issues in a typical service provider network with multiple BGP connections to other autonomous systems

• Internet service providers
• Networking professionals who need to connect to ISPs
• CCIP and CCIE certification candidates

1. BGP Overview

• Session Establishment
• Path Attributes
• Route Processing
• Basic Configuration
• Monitoring and Troubleshooting

2. BGP Transit Autonomous Systems

• Working with a Transit AS
• Interacting with IBGP and EBGP in a Transit AS
• Forwarding Packets in a Transit AS
• Configuring a Transit AS
• Monitoring and Troubleshooting IBGP in a Transit AS

3. Route Selection Using Policy Controls

• Multihomed BGP Networks
• Employing AS Path Filters
• Filtering with Prefix Lists
• Outbound Route Filtering
• Applying Route Maps as BGP Filters
• Implementing Changes in BGP Policy

4. Route Selection Using Attributes

• BGP Route Selection with Weights
• BGP Local Preference
• AS-Path Prepending
• BGP Multi-Exit Discriminator (MED)
• Addressing BGP Communities

5. Customer-to-Provider Connectivity with BGP

• Customer-to-Provider Connectivity Requirements
• Implementing Customer Connectivity Using Static Routes
• Connecting a Multihomed Customer to Single or Multiple Service Providers

6. Scaling Service Provider Networks

• Scaling IGP and BGP in Service Provider Networks
• Designing Networks and Route Reflectors
• Configuring and Monitoring Route Reflectors
• Configuring and Monitoring Confederations

7. Optimizing BGP Scalability

• Improving BGP Convergence
• Limiting the Number of Prefixes Received from a BGP Neighbour
• Implementing BGP Peer Groups
• BGP Route Dampening

 
Labs
Lab 1: Configuring basic BGP

• Create BGP peerings
• Advertise networks into BGP
• Redistribute your IGP into BGP
• Examine the effects of BGP auto-summarization
• Summarize routes to your neighbour
• Implement BGP TTL Security
• Implement BGP Authentication

Lab 2: Configuring IBGP Peerings

• Configure an IBGP peering with another edge router
• Peering with loopback interfaces
• Examine effect of BGP synchronization
• Discover BGP next-hop behaviour
• Examine the effects of multihoming on path selection

Lab 3: Using AS-Path Filters and Regular Expressions

• Filter updates to external routers
• Manipulate path selection using AS-path filters and regular expressions

Lab 4: Using Prefix Lists

• Filter advertised AS routes using prefix lists
• Implement Outbound Route Filtering

Lab 5: Configure Route Maps for BGP Filtering

• Configure a route map as a BGP filter

Lab 6: Configuring the Weight Attribute

• Configure a second BGP peering for each router
• Set a weight value for routes received from each EBGP neighbour
• Monitor the resulting path choice

Lab 7: Configuring the Local Preference Attribute

• Use the Local Preference attribute to control BGP path selection

Lab 8: AS-Path Prepending

• Configure AS-Path Prepending to make one path into your AS look more attractive than the other

Lab 9: Configuring the Multi-Exit Discriminator (MED) Attribute

• Use the MED attribute to influence the BGP path selection by routers in neighbouring systems

Lab 10: Using the Community Attribute

• Configure the community attribute in setting local preference BGP policies

Lab 11: Using Route Reflectors

• Configure a hierarchical route reflector structure
• Examine the effects of route reflectors on routing updates

Lab 12: Monitoring and Tuning BGP Resource Use

• Examine the effects of BGP session establishment and route updates on router resources