BGP and the Internet

The Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) connects our digital universe. BGP is a conduit for the Internet and without BGP the Internet would not exist as we know it. All the digital richness it provides, the human and machine interaction, the email, videos, news, social networking and e-commerce, all this and much more would not be possible without BGP. BGP is perhaps one of the most important Network Protocols.
What is BGP? This eBook started out as a three-day BGP training course, and was developed during the late 1990s to early 2000s when the proliferation of the Internet started to gain momentum. There was a growing demand for individuals with network and BGP knowledge and experience and as a consequence, there was an increasing demand for educational material. The original training course has been adapted into an eBook.
This eBook contains the culmination of 20 years network communications and Internet field experience as well as lecture and personal notes. BGP and the Internet, explores who needs BGP, why and when it is required. It covers a brief introduction and history of BGP and Routing, as well as the movement of packets through a network. How does information flow from source to destination? What different protocols exist to enable all this to happen? Moreover, how does the Internet operate, exist and function at the network level so transparently, for the benefit of individuals, poor and rich, as well as for governments and corporations of all sizes?And as part of 'The Basics' series, this book covers the basics from the ground up and explains BGP succinctly so that everyone can grasp the most basic concepts.
This eBook can also be used as reference and covers some advanced BGP concepts, configuration, troubleshooting and monitoring.