"from the real world" - typical multihoming discussion

[smd@ebone.net (Sean Doran)]

This is the kind of thing that is happening now, fyi.
Perhaps interesting to those who don't have the time or inclination
to follow lists full of "small operators".

	Sean.
- --
| From: "E.B. Dreger" <eddy+public+spam@noc.everquick.net>
| To: list@inet-access.net
| Subject: Re: Some BGP questions...
|
| > Date: Sun, 04 Mar 2001 16:14:25 -0800
| > From: Jeff Lasman <jblists@nobaloney.net>
|
| > I have Provider A - with 2 T1's into a Cisco 3620 router running Cisco
| > Express Forwarding (CEF) to bond the circuits to a 3Mb pipe.
|
| There are a few different approaches to this.  Quite frankly, this is the
| least of my concerns.
|
| > I am bringing in Provider B - with a 10 Mb Fiber connection to increase
| > my bandwidth capabilities and to setup redundancy in case Provider A
| > goes down.  To do this we need to setup BGP-4.
|
| 1. Get an ASN
| 2. Make sure that you have at least 128 MB of RAM for two full views
| 3. Decide if you want to use one provider as backup _only_, or if you want
|    to actively use both under ordinary conditions.
|
| A 3660 will work (and can take up to 256 MB), but doesn't use the PA-xxxx
| expansion cards found in 7000 series and up.  If you want a clear-channel
| (i.e., not ATM) or channelized DS3, get a 7200.  Note that the 7200 series
| has four different processors.
|
| If you want CPU power, go for the 7200VXR.  The 7204VXR has four slots,
| and the 7206VXR has six.  The VXR series is aimed for voice applications,
| and offers TDM processing.
|
| > What is the best scenario to do this router-wise?  Do we run the 10Mb
| > connection into the 3620 and configure BGP-4 on that router.  Or, do we
| > run the 10Mb connection into a separate router?
|
| It'll be easier to have one router.  If you go the 3600 route (no pun
| intended), the 3662 has two built-in ethernet ports.
|
| > What does it take to configure BGP-4?
|
| In what capacity?  I've run BGP4 on 2501's with 2MB... but only in a test
| lab. :-)
|
| If you mean config work, look at
|
| 	http://www.netaxs.com/~freedman/
| 	http://www.amazing.com/internet/multi-homing.html
|
| for starters.  Be careful with distribute-list and filter-list configs,
| lest you leak routes that you shouldn't.  A clueful upstream has
| preventative measures in place to handle this, but November '97 sticks in
| my mind as the month that some bad BGP by a well-known provider caused BIG
| trouble.
|
| If you want to get fancy, you can play with communities (when your
| upstream supports them), local-pref, and MED to tune routes.  For me, this
| is where the fun is...
|
| > By now we're pretty certain the 3620 isn't going to do it, but all other
|
| Well, if you wanted backup _only_ from one provider, you could use the
| 3620.  It'll pass your traffic okay... it just can't handle two full BGP
| views.
|
| > questions are up in the air.  This is his first giant step; a few months
| > ago he had one T-1 line.  I'm just NOT into BGP at all.  Any comments
| > (flames, etc. <smile>)???
|
| Moving up in the world... :-)
|
|
| Eddy
|
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
| Brotsman & Dreger, Inc.
| EverQuick Internet / EternalCommerce Division
|
| E-Mail: eddy@everquick.net
| Phone: (316) 794-8922
|
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