bgp best path compare-routerid implementation example

Fri Sep 25 17:50:44 UTC 2009

Dev,

This is usually used to offset the oldest route metric. The problem is that when a link fails and comes back online, traffic can shift from one provider to another in the middle of your billing cycle. This then could mean you get double billed for that traffic. People use the command to basically turn off the oldest route metric and use the routerid (not peering ip) to make the last decision on where to send your traffic. This is commonly called "tie breaker" traffic. If a peer fails with this command enabled, when the peer comes back online, traffic should be restored to the original level before the failure. 

A possible issue with this command is that if a local peer's route/session flaps it could have more of an effect on your network/router as it will always try move those routes back to the FIB. That's probably why they implemented this metric in the first place, the oldest route is the most stable. Another issue is that you are at the mercy of vendor's routerid when your router decides where to send your "tie breaker" traffic. Level3 gets most of this traffic since they have such low routeids.

There are ways to get around this problem and take back control of your tie breaker traffic. Dani did a pretty good tutorial on this issue and its located here:

http://nanog.org/meetings/nanog46/abstracts.php?pt=MTM3MiZuYW5vZzQ2&nm=nanog46

Basically he suggests using MEDs to change the tie breaker as part of a complete BGP traffic engineering solution. Doing the things listed there and elsewhere will mean you won't even have to use this command. 

Austin Wilson

-----Original Message-----
From: devang patel [mailto:devangnp at gmail.com] 
Sent: Thursday, September 24, 2009 9:24 PM
To: nanog at nanog.org
Subject: bgp best path compare-routerid implementation example

Hello Nanog,

I am looking for the *bgp best path compare*-*routerid* implementation
example? I know the function of it but looking for some scenario where its
been used...

Thanks,
Dev