[ih] The story of BGP?

[John Curran]

On Feb 7, 2013, at 6:20 PM, Louis Mamakos <louie at transsys.com> wrote:

> Some other random thoughts..
> 
> I think one of the drivers for a replacement for EGP was the arrival of the NSFNET, and the need to support a topology that wasn't the mostly-strict hierarchy that was rooted in the single set of core routers on the ARPANET.  The NSFNET backbone along with the various NSF sponsored regional networks as well as other research networks were quite a challenge to glue together, with somewhat ill-defined borders between networks and IGP domains that spanned multiple networks and their administrators.  A better tool was desperately needed.

:-)

One good place to find historic references to some of these challenges and
changes is in the NSFNET sponsored "Internet Monthly Report" series... e.g.
<ftp://ftp.funet.fi/index/netinfo/NSFNET/InternetMonthlyReport/IMR89-11.TXT>:

     "...
     Internet Monthly Report                                November 1989 
                             ROUTING AREA REPORT 
                         Director: Bob Hinden (BBN)
 
     The major issue in this area is the topic of a standard internal
     gateway routing protocol (IGP).  The IESG discussed this in detail
     at the open meeting in Hawaii.  We plan to make this tpoic the
     focus of a special meeting at the next IETF meeting at Florida
     State University (Feb 6-9, 1990).
 
     Because of its importance and its early promise, we have also
     decided to form a WG to specifically examine at the experimental
     Border Gateway Protocol (BGP).  One possible outcome would be for
     BGP to eventually replace EGP as the exterior gateway routing
     protocol.  Another possible outcome might be that the better parts
     of BGP could become a basis for a new or better EGP.

     Phill Gross <pgross at NRI.Reston.VA.US>"

FYI,
/John