Use of the Border Gateway Protocol - Essay Example

BGP is frequently the protocol but into consideration between gateway hosts contained in the Internet. The routing board comprises a list of known routers with the addresses each router can reach, and a cost metric allied with the path of an independent router resulting in the best available route to be selected (Randy, 2003).

Hosts that have BGP links by the use of Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) which sends updated router board information only when one host has spotted a change. Here only the affected part of such a routing board is sent. BGP links to automatically functioning local networks by the use of Internal BGP as it is not compatible with IGP. The routers contained the automatic network thus upholding two routing boards: an interior gateway protocol and an IBGP. This results in easy-to-use Unrestricted Inter-Domain Routing (UIDR). This is a way to have more addresses in the network than using the current IP address assignment system (Clark, 2003).

Egypt was able to efficiently detach itself from the internet system by pulling its usual visible routes contained in the BGP routing board. The IP addresses identifying computers linked to the internet through Egypt’s ISPs were fundamentally detached from the world connection system. This resulted in computers in Egypt being compared to houses that have no mailboxes, not on any map. Hence the other connection to the downstream countries was unaffected (Tim, 1999).

This was facilitated as a BGP ‘advertise’ the native address prefixes to adjoining networks. This made routers to identify where to send packet data with a specified endpoint address. Almost 3,500 Egyptian prefixes at this time were not advertised this made it possible to make them appear missing from the routing board of BGP routers around the globe but not necessarily affecting the other countries' connection. That meant that routers in this case longer knew where to direct packets addressed to IP addresses contained in the detached prefixes—even though all their cables are in good working condition (Beijnum, 2002).

Since the disconnection of the internet in Egypt involved the removal of more than 3,500 Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) routes, this could not have disconnected the downstream countries as the BGP only cuts the connection between the computer in mention and the connection to the outside world not necessarily cutting the entire connection. This was the reason that made other countries connected and the cables connecting the downstream countries and Egypt to the world passed through Egypt with only a diversion to Egypt servers.

This meant that the countries downstream did not have a direct connection with Egypt hence after Egypt shutting down its system there was no effect on them as the BGP only allows the disconnection of the system with the server.