BGP4 using FreeBSD

[Łukasz Bromirski]

Juan Jose Sanchez Mesa wrote:

 > We are looking to implement it via software using FreeBSD to
 > replace the expensive Cisco router needed to do BGP.

 > Searching Google we found software from FutureSoft and from Merit
 > Research (BSD license) that do BGP routing, but we want to know if
 > this really can compete with a complete Cisco (or other manufacturer)
 > hardware solution.

Why you don't just lookup ports directory and install quagga? It's
working solution to do also BGPv4, and it works in the real. Every
decent PC (PIII-800) will do full BGPv4 routing with 128MB of RAM if it
doesn't do anything else. Hardware is relatively cheap, so You
can go for PIV or Athlon XP with 512MB RAM, and that machine will
work flawlessly with multiple full BGP feeds.

I have few PIII-800 with 512MB RAM and 3COM/Intel NICs, that are
"benchmarking platform" for various Cisco, 3COM and Allied Telesyn
routers. They're doing it almost idle, handling 160k prefixes.
Moreover, they often better handle things, that would kill router.

-- 
Łukasz Bromirski                             lbromirski:mr0vka.eu.org