RFC 2042

Registering New BGP Attribute Types ✨

Okay bestie, here's the tea 🍵 This is RFC 2042, titled Registering New BGP Attribute Types. Bill Manning from ISI wrote it for the Network Working Group, and it was published in January 1997. It's Category: Informational, and it doesn't say it obsoletes or updates anything 🎀

Status of this Memo 🧚

This memo gives information to the Internet community 💖 It does not specify an Internet standard of any kind, so no pressure. Distribution of this memo is unlimited 🌈

Process 💅

This document explains how to create new BGP attribute type codes 🔥 The basic ones are described in RFC 1771, pages 12 through 15. Those, plus the new attribute type codes that are actually used on the Internet, are registered with the IANA 🫶

The real process involves documenting these attribute type codes in an RFC. There's no plan to split the code space into public/private, IP/OSI, or any other sections. No cap, it's all one big space ✨

While an attribute type code is being developed, it uses the octet value 255, which is reserved for exactly this purpose 🦋 Once the IANA assigns a number to the attribute type code, the documentation and code base get updated to reflect the authorized attribute type code value. Main character glow-up 👑

IANA-maintained values get published in the periodically updated Assigned Numbers RFC [6]. To request a new attribute type code, send an email to the IANA (IANA@IANA.ORG) with a subject that includes the phrase "BGP Attribute Type" 💌

Here are the attribute type codes currently in use, so you can see the whole lineup 🌸

              Value      Code                             Reference

                1       ORIGIN                                  [1]
                2       AS_PATH                                 [1]
                3       NEXT_HOP                                [1]
                4       MULTI_EXIT_DISC                         [1]
                5       LOCAL_PREF                              [1]
                6       ATOMIC_AGGREGATE                        [1]
                7       AGGREGATOR                              [1]
                8       COMMUNITY                               [2]
                9       ORIGINATOR_ID                           [3]
                10      CLUSTER_LIST                            [3]
                11      DPA                                     [4]
                12      ADVERTISER                              [5]
                13      RCID_PATH / CLUSTER_ID                  [5]
                ...
                255     reserved for development

Security Considerations 🙈

Security issues are not discussed in this memo. Not one word, bestie. Please keep that in mind when you're reading it 💀

References 📚

[1] Rekhter, Y., and Li, T., "A Border Gateway Protocol 4 (BGP-4)", RFC 1771, March 1995.

[2] Chandra, R., Traina, P., and T. Li, "BGP Communities Attribute", RFC 1997, August 1996.

[3] Bates, T., Chandra, R, "BGP Route Reflection An alternative to full mesh IBGP", RFC 1998, June 1996.

[4] Chen, E., Bates, T., "Destination Preference Attribute for BGP", Work in progress, March 1996.

[5] Haskin, D., "A BGP/IDRP Route Server alternative to a full mesh routing", RFC 1863, October 1995.

[6] Reynolds, J., and J. Postel, "Assigned Numbers", STD 2, RFC 1700, ISI, October 1994.

Author's Address 🦋

Bill Manning USC/ISI 4676 Admiralty Way Marina del Rey, CA. 90292

Phone: 01.310.822.1511 Email: bmanning@isi.edu