RFC 2283 (rfc2283) - Page 1 of 9


Multiprotocol Extensions for BGP-4



Alternative Format: Original Text Document



Network Working Group                                           T. Bates
Request for Comments: 2283                                 Cisco Systems
Category: Standards Track                                     R. Chandra
                                                           Cisco Systems
                                                                 D. Katz
                                                        Juniper Networks
                                                              Y. Rekhter
                                                           Cisco Systems
                                                           February 1998


                   Multiprotocol Extensions for BGP-4

Status of this Memo

   This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the
   Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for
   improvements.  Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet
   Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state
   and status of this protocol.  Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (1998).  All Rights Reserved.

2. Abstract

   Currently BGP-4 [BGP-4] is capable of carrying routing information
   only for IPv4 [IPv4]. This document defines extensions to BGP-4 to
   enable it to carry routing information for multiple Network Layer
   protocols (e.g., IPv6, IPX, etc...). The extensions are backward
   compatible - a router that supports the extensions can interoperate
   with a router that doesn't support the extensions.

3. Overview

   The only three pieces of information carried by BGP-4 that are IPv4
   specific are (a) the NEXT_HOP attribute (expressed as an IPv4
   address), (b) AGGREGATOR (contains an IPv4 address), and (c) NLRI
   (expressed as IPv4 address prefixes). This document assumes that any
   BGP speaker (including the one that supports multiprotocol
   capabilities defined in this document) has to have an IPv4 address
   (which will be used, among other things, in the AGGREGATOR
   attribute). Therefore, to enable BGP-4 to support routing for
   multiple Network Layer protocols the only two things that have to be
   added to BGP-4 are (a) the ability to associate a particular Network
   Layer protocol with the next hop information, and (b) the ability to
   associated a particular Network Layer protocol with NLRI. To identify



Bates, et. al.              Standards Track