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BEST CURRENT PRACTICE
Network Working Group J. Hawkinson
Request for Comments: 1930 BBN Planet
BCP: 6 T. Bates
Category: Best Current Practice MCI
March 1996
Guidelines for creation, selection, and registration
of an Autonomous System (AS)
Status of this Memo
This document specifies an Internet Best Current Practices for the
Internet Community, and requests discussion and suggestions for
improvements. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.
Abstract
This memo discusses when it is appropriate to register and utilize an
Autonomous System (AS), and lists criteria for such. ASes are the
unit of routing policy in the modern world of exterior routing, and
are specifically applicable to protocols like EGP (Exterior Gateway
Protocol, now at historical status; see [EGP]), BGP (Border Gateway
Protocol, the current de facto standard for inter-AS routing; see
[BGP-4]), and IDRP (The OSI Inter-Domain Routing Protocol, which the
Internet is expected to adopt when BGP becomes obsolete; see [IDRP]).
It should be noted that the IDRP equivalent of an AS is the RDI, or
Routing Domain Identifier.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction ............................................ 2
2. Motivation .............................................. 2
3. Definitions ............................................. 2
4. Common errors in allocating ASes ........................ 5
5. Criteria for the decision -- do I need an AS? .......... 5
5.1 Sample Cases ........................................... 6
5.2 Other Factors .......................................... 7
6. Speculation ............................................. 7
7. One prefix, one origin AS ............................... 8
8. IGP issues .............................................. 8
9. AS Space exhaustion ..................................... 8
10. Reserved AS Numbers .................................... 9
11. Security Considerations ................................ 9
12. Acknowledgments ........................................ 9
13. References ............................................. 9
14. Authors' Addresses ..................................... 10
Hawkinson & Bates Best Current Practice [Page 1]
RFC 1930 Guidelines for creation of an AS March 1996
1. Introduction
This memo discusses when it is appropriate to register and utilize an
Autonomous System (AS), and lists criteria for such. ASes are the
unit of routing policy in the modern world of exterior routing, and
are specifically applicable to protocols like EGP (Exterior Gateway
Protocol, now at historical status; see [EGP]), BGP (Border Gateway
Protocol, the current de facto standard for inter-AS routing; see
[BGP-4]), and IDRP (The OSI Inter-Domain Routing Protocol, which the
Internet is expected to adopt when BGP becomes obsolete; see [IDRP]).
It should be noted that the IDRP equivalent of an AS is the RDI, or
Routing Domain Identifier.
2. Motivation
This memo is aimed at network operators and service providers who
need to understand under what circumstances they should make use of
an AS. It is expected that the reader is familiar with routing
protocols and will be someone who configures and operates Internet
networks. Unfortunately, there is a great deal of confusion in how
ASes should be used today; this memo attempts to clear up some of
this confusion, as well as acting as a simple guide to today's
exterior routing.
3. Definitions
This document refers to the term "prefix" throughout. In the current
classless Internet (see [CIDR]), a block of class A, B, or C networks
may be referred to by merely a prefix and a mask, so long as such a
block of networks begins and ends on a power-of-two boundary. For
example, the networks:
192.168.0.0/24
192.168.1.0/24
192.168.2.0/24
192.168.3.0/24
can be simply referred to as:
192.168.0.0/22
The term "prefix" as it is used here is equivalent to "CIDR block",
and in simple terms may be thought of as a group of one or more
networks. We use the term "network" to mean classful network, or "A,
B, C network".
The definition of AS has been unclear and ambiguous for some time.
[BGP-4] states:
Hawkinson & Bates Best Current Practice [Page 2]
RFC 1930 Guidelines for creation of an AS March 1996
The classic definition of an Autonomous System is a set of routers
under a single technical administration, using an interior gateway
protocol and common metrics to route packets within the AS, and
using an exterior gateway protocol to route packets to other ASes.
Since this classic definition was developed, it has become common
for a single AS to use several interior gateway protocols and
sometimes several sets of metrics within an AS. The use of the
term Autonomous System here stresses the fact that, even when
multiple IGPs and metrics are used, the administration of an AS
appears to other ASes to have a single coherent interior routing
plan and presents a consistent picture of what networks are
reachable through it.
To rephrase succinctly:
An AS is a connected group of one or more IP prefixes run by one
or more network operators which has a SINGLE and CLEARLY DEFINED
routing policy.
Routing policy here is defined as how routing decisions are made in
the Internet today. It is the exchange of routing information
between ASes that is subject to routing policies. Consider the case
of two ASes, X and Y exchanging routing information:
NET1 ...... ASX <---> ASY ....... NET2
ASX knows how to reach a prefix called NET1. It does not matter
whether NET1 belongs to ASX or to some other AS which exchanges
routing information with ASX, either directly or indirectly; we just
assume that ASX knows how to direct packets towards NET1. Likewise
ASY knows how to reach NET2.
In order for traffic from NET2 to NET1 to flow between ASX and ASY,
ASX has to announce NET1 to ASY using an exterior routing protocol;
this means that ASX is willing to accept traffic directed to NET1
from ASY. Policy comes into play when ASX decides to announce NET1 to
ASY.
For traffic to flow, ASY has to accept this routing information and
use it. It is ASY's privilege to either use or disregard the
information that it receives from ASX about NET1's reachability. ASY
might decide not to use this information if it does not want to send
traffic to NET1 at all or if it considers another route more
appropriate to reach NET1.
In order for traffic in the direction of NET1 to flow between ASX and
ASY, ASX must announce that route to ASY and ASY must accept it from
ASX:
Hawkinson & Bates Best Current Practice [Page 3]
RFC 1930 Guidelines for creation of an AS March 1996
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