Looking Ahead

The Internet has come a long way from the NSFNET backbone to the information highway of the 21st century—and there are no signs of its slowing down. And how could the Internet slow down when thousands of users come online every day, attracted by the most advanced applications technology affords?

Routing protocols have struggled to keep up with the demand, from the early days of EGP to the latest in BGP. BGP started as a simple exterior routing protocol and has evolved into a de facto standard, gluing the Internet together. Indeed, every hook and tweak that BGP can offer has been used, and still it seems that more capabilities are requested every day. As a result, new protocols and new techniques will emerge. Whether they will make routing easier or more complicated, more robust or shakier, is yet to be seen. One thing is certain: Common sense will never go away, and as long as it is the basis of all your designs, you will be the master of your domain.

Because I couldn't possibly cover all the potential benefits and caveats of every BGP-related IOS command, I strongly suggest that you consult the appropriate Cisco documentation or support personnel if a question or problem arises. I have included a current set of IOS BGP configuration parameters in Appendix A, "BGP Command Reference," for additional reference. Appendix B, "References for Further Study," provides references and pointers to interesting online resources, as well as useful books. Appendix C, "BGP Outbound Route Filter (ORF)," contains BGP ORF information. Finally, Appendix D, "Multiprotocol BGP (MBGP)," includes information on Multiprotocol BGP (MBGP).