BGP4: Inter-Domain Routing in the Internet (The Addison-Wesley Networking Basics Series) (Paperback)

by John W. Stewart (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Since its introduction in 1993, the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) has been used extensively to allow network routers to optimize the transmission of Internet Protocol (IP) packets across the Internet. As Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and corporations seek to make their network infrastructures faster and more reliable, more administrators need to get acquainted with BGP (now in version 4). John Stewart's BGP4: Inter-Domain Routing on the Internet provides a short, authoritative guide to how Internet routing works generally, along with the specifics of the BGP4 protocol.

Early sections introduce the IP protocol, the foundation of the Internet, including a concise description of IP header structure. Routing basics are also discussed, including External Gateway Protocols (EGPs) and Interior Gateway Protocols (IGPs). The book presents protocols used to determine routing efficiency, including distance-vector and linking-state routing protocols.

Next, Stewart covers the Bridging Control Protocol (BGP) itself and includes discussion of BCP sessions and the message types used to send routing information between routers in BGP. A particular strength of this text is that it explains networking infrastructure with clear examples of hypothetical configurations for your ISP or organization, all using BGP. The author explains both single homing and multihoming (both with a single ISP and multiple ISPs) and explains the strategies that BGP uses to filter routing information efficiently. The book closes with new extensions to BGP, including the notion of BGP communities.

This handy introduction to one of the most important--and slightly mysterious--Internet protocols is a must for any networking professional who deals with Internet routing. --Richard Dragan

Product Description
A coherent writer about the BGP4, this is a sourcebook for complete and practical information on the standard inter-domain routing protocol used by ISPs and the many companies now establishing their own Internet connections.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional (December 24, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201379511
• ISBN-13: 978-0201379518
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #511,495 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Concise Intro to BGP4, June 20, 1999

By A Customer

As the title suggests, this book is about BGP4, period. Don't expect a big discussion about anything else. There is an obligatory intro to internet routing and TCP/IP, but that's not the focus of the book. What it is is a great first book on BGP for anyone looking to use multiple ISPs for corporate internet access, or looking to implement BGP4 on larger corporate intranets.

The description of the BGP4 routing protocol is extremely detailed and would probably serve as an excellent reference guide. There are enough examples to give you a pretty good idea of how BGP is used, but if you're looking to create your own autonomous system(s), you'll need more information. Check out Bassam Halabi's book - Internet Routing Architectures and talk to your ISPs routing experts. btw: Halabi's book focuses on Cisco's implementation of BGP4 and includes lots of example configs, but that's fine since the internet is dominated by Cisco anyway.

I found this book to be excellent and recommend it to anyone who is interested in implementing BGP4 in their network, or to anyone who just wants to expand their knowledge base. The book is short but that's a positive attribute in this case. Kudos to Mr. Stewart.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for network engineers, July 19, 2000

By	Jeremy (little north of golden gate bridge...) - See all my reviews

Like another reviewer mentioned not to be fooled by its size. This is the best description of BGP4 I've come across so far. Working for a networking company that makes products for the internet core I was asked to educate myself in BGP.

This book covers all the basic BGP path attributes to the advanced topics such as router reflectors, confederations and communities. After reading this book I fully understood what routing policy means and how BGP uses that to make the internet work. BGP is indeed the work horse behind the internet.

I recommend to read this book before indulging yourself in the RFC1771 for more details.

I even the like the simplistic round diagrams throughout the book, a fresh look... something non-cisco <thank god>

And who better to write the book but John himself, one of the brains behind Juniper networks!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book about the BGP4 protocol., August 2, 2000

By	Uri Raz (Israel) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is about the BGP4 protocol - there's a brief chapter about IP & IP routing, which serves to refresh one's memory, and the rest of the book is about the protocl itself.

This book is not tied to any specific router implementation, but rather describes the protocol 'academicaly' in a clear language and with all the needed details.

It's an excellent book for two purposes - people who want to study the protocol academicaly, e.g. for a course in computer networks or Internet Protocols, and arent into studying the RFCs that sink into the details, and for people who manage routers/networks and want to understand the protocol before reading a lengthier text specific to some implementation.