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Configuring BGP Routers

Owned by Shirly Tsang
Last updated: Jul 19, 2023 by Alex Mandel
2 min read

Considered the main protocol of the internet, BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) is a path-vector routing protocol used by ISPs, enterprise customers, and other autonomous systems (that is, computer networks) rather than individual routers. BGP enables these systems to determine not only which other autonomous systems they can communicate with but also how to communicate.

Although BGP is one of the slowest protocols, it is highly scalable, supports multiple protocols and, by virtue of its use of address families, is highly extensible. It is a non-trusting protocol: each party must check everything that the other party is doing, and this requires strict route filtering. As a path-vector routing protocol, BGP sends updates only when they are requested rather than periodically, as is the case with distance-vector routing protocols.

 The method that BGP uses to pick paths does not rely on hop counts, bandwidths, or other criteria used by a traditional IGP. Instead, BGP is based heavily on policies designed to meet the needs of an autonomous system.

The BGP Routers page can be accessed through Cloud Services Portal > Manage > Routing > BGP Routers and displays the following information for each BGP router you have created:

  • Name

  • Description

  • An indication of whether a router is online or has stopped, and whether it has started or is starting

Click for a particular BGP router, and review the following details:

  • Pool: the name of the router’s pool

  • Status Changed: the date and time the router’s status was changed

  • HOST INFO:

    • Host Name

    • Host IP Address

    • Host Status: Online Started, Stopped Starting, or Error

    • INTERFACE BINDINGS

You can do the following on the BGP Routers page:

  • Create a new BGP router: Click the Create button, and follow the instructions in Creating BGP Routers.

  • Edit a BGP router: Select the BGP router you want to modify, click Edit, and follow the instructions in Editing BGP Routers.

  • Remove a BGP router: Select the BGP router you want to remove, and click Remove.

  • Start a BGP router: Select the BGP router you want to start, and click Start.

  • Stop a BGP router: Select the you want to stop, and click Stop.

The following topics describe each action in detail: