The comprehensive, hands-on guide to all Cisco IOS(r) Software BGP-4 commands

• The complete BGP-4 command reference

• invaluable for network designers, engineers, and architects

• Provides configuration, troubleshooting, and verification scenarios for every possible BGP-4 command supported by Cisco IOS Software that can be implemented on a minimum number of routers

• Groups BGP-4 commands by area of implementation route aggregation, auto-summary, route filtering, and route advertisement, just to name a few

• Provides clear and concise commentary on the initial release, purpose, syntax, and usage of each BGP-4 command

• Offers excellent CCIE certification preparation from one of the CCIE Program Managers

• Includes supplementary information on regular expressions, route map logic, and RFC 1771, A Border Gateway Protocol 4 (BGP-4)

Cisco BGP-4 Command and Configuration Handbook is an exhaustive practical reference to the commands contained within BGP-4. For each command/subcommand, author Bill Parkhurst explains the intended use or function and how to properly configure it. Then he presents scenarios to demonstrate every facet of the command and its use, along with appropriate show and debug commands. Through the discussion of functionality and the scenario-based configuration examples, Cisco BGP-4 Command and Configuration Handbook will help you gain a thorough understanding of the practical side of BGP-4.

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 17 Ratings

Great Book for a resource and working with BGP - 2005-05-09
Reviewer Rating:
I have read it and decided to share my thoughts. Basically it gives you all the BGP commands and how to use them. It's a great resource to learn from or to help with using it in the real world. All the BGP commands and examples you need in one location. A must read for CCIE prep. You can't beat that.

Good Book, Lots of errors - 2003-01-12
Reviewer Rating:
The good thing about this book is that with 2 or three routers you can verify the configurations presented in the book. Then it is easy to see the errors. And there are lots of errors in this book. Most of them are just simple errors that any CCNA could find; example: four loopbacks configured loopback0-3, show ip route: loopback1-4, not big errors, but confusing. Also many times routers are mixed up in the configuration and the show commands. Example: a show command on router A displays information that must be from router C. etc..

I like this book very much, but it is getting a little bit unreadable because of the corrections I made :)

The strange thing is that there is no errata on the ciscopress site for this book.

3 stars because of the errors, otherwise 4,5

BGP Unveiled - 2004-03-11
Reviewer Rating:
The Cisco BGP-4 Command and Configuration Handbook has become another valuable addition to my networking library. This reference by Dr. William Parkhurst is a comprehensive listing of all BGP-4 commands used in Cisco IOS software. Like his reference on OSPF commands, each BGP command is outlined with a syntax description, a purpose for the command, configuration examples and a short troubleshooting section.

The flow of the book was very logically laid out. It begins with basic BGP route aggregation commands and progresses through neighbor configuration commands, route redistribution and ends with chapters on troubleshooting commands. Each chapter begins with basic commands and builds on those commands as the chapter progresses. This way the reader gets a feeling for how each command interacts with other commands.

As with any other command and configuration handbook, the reader must be well versed in the theory behind the technology. This is especially true with this book. I must admit, that before reading this book, I did not have much exposure to BGP-4, but I found the material very easy to comprehend. It also helped me to understand the protocol better. Without the proper background in BGP-4 you can get lost very easily, however if you have had exposure to BGP then you will find this book very useful in configuring the protocol.

Another aspect of the book I really liked was in how the configuration examples were presented. Each example had a network scenario and gave a step by step process on how to utilize the command. A network diagram was included along with outputs from the routers used in the configuration scenario. The configuration examples start with a verification phase where the correct operation is determined. Then the command is applied and the changes are outlined and displayed. The troubleshooting section outlines steps where the most common failures may occur. While the reader can get a lot of information from just reading the configuration section, it really helps if you can have access to live routers.

I also found the appendices very helpful in understanding some of the book's content. Appendix A presents the concepts and terminology contained in RFC 1771 Border Gateway Protocol 4. Appendix B covers regular expression and Appendix C is about route map logic and how route maps are used in BGP-4. Don't be daunted by Appendix A, the author left out most of the details, like packet format and content and instead focused on BGP attributes, path selection and forming BGP connections. Appendix C gave a good refresher on route maps and how they are utilized in BGP.

This book has become an excellent reference source for my studies toward the CCIE. It also helped me to understand BGP better. I would highly recommend this book to anyone studying for Cisco certification or who has to work with BGP-4 in their network. I looked forward to reading more books by Dr. Parkhurst

Buy with Internet Routing Architectures (2nd Edition) - 2004-04-14
Reviewer Rating:
If You buy this book you must have the Internet Routing Architectures (2nd Edition)
by Sam Halabi! A useful command reference.

Great book to learn the power of BGP - 2006-02-04
Reviewer Rating:
CiscoPress's "BGP-4 Command and Configuration Handbook" by Dr. Parkhurst packs a punch for it's size. Most Cisco books of any value require a forklift to carry them around. In just under 400 pages, this book succinctly explains a plethora of BGP commands. It is important to note, this is not a BGP-101 book, anyone using this book should either have a basic understanding of Cisco's implementation of BGP from other CiscoPress books (either Doyle or Halabi).

The concept of this book is very simple - important BGP commands are discussed and also documented in configuration examples. It is very easy to understand the syntax of different BGP commands when displayed in this manner. There are a number of diagrams, showing the topology at hand. What I also like is that the book will often use different `show' commands to further document the use of the command. Appendix B is also of particular value, as it discusses regular expressions (something Cisco does a bad job at documenting - I think for awhile regular expression documents were an appendix to the dial section on the Cisco website).

Overall, I wish there would be more of these type of command books published. If you have a 3 or 4 router lab network, you will be able to see the effects of most of these commands. Also, any candidate for the CCIE will find commands documented here that are not discussed in other CCIE books.

I give this book 5 pings out of 5:
!!!!!

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