Re: [nsp] bgp deterministic-med

From: Alan Hannan (alan@globalcenter.net)
Date: Thu Aug 20 1998 - 21:05:53 EDT


> What does:
> bgp deterministic-med
> do?

> Appears to be undocumented even so that altavista can't find it.

  Hmm. I can't profess to detail this exactly, but my understanding
  is that 'bgp deterministic-med' has to do with a case similar to
  the following:

          suppose we have 4 routes with AS paths:

                3549 44
                3549 44
                3549 32
                3549 22

  In the 'default' state, according to a non-deterministic order,
  the routes will be compared.

  If sequentially we come upon a set of AS paths that are identical,
  it is then determines which is preferred. It then uses that.

  In the 'bgp deterministirc-med' case, the routes are sorted in a
  deterministirc med.

  There's something else in there about like what to do if we have 2
  pairs of routes with the same AS, like:

          3549 44
        3549 44
        3549 22
        3549 22

  Where it does the best of the two, then compares them through the
  BGP process.

  I suppose I'm just confusing folks, but it basically has to do
  with the way routes are compared w/ MEDs.

  Smart cisco bgp people could detail this exactly.

> Does
> it per-chance compare MEDs only if the *whole* AS Path is indentical,
> not merely the first AS?

  I don't believe so.

  My understanding is that by default, the MEDs are compared only
  when the *whole* AS Path is identical.

  The command 'always compare meds' is what always compares meds,
  so long as the BGP AS Path length is the same, irregardless of the
  components of the path.

  -alan



This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sun Aug 04 2002 - 04:13:13 EDT