Sorry if it is not the right forum, but I'm trying to get a grip on 32Bits ASN on Cisco
I see that feature is available on 12.4(24)T
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/iosswrel/ps6537/ps6554/ps6599/data_sheet_C78-521821.html
Which is available only for "new gear". I don't know how new is the 1800,2800,3800 series, but I know networks still running on 2500 and 2600.
So does it mean that to get 32bit ASN you need to get new gear?
Seems to me 12.4(24)T is relatively new, and that this feature is not available on the mainline IOS 12.4?
So in one hand RIR allocates 32bit ASN, but on the other hand, it is hard to implement it on current equipment? Is that a (un)fair assessment?
You can still request a 16 bit ASN from the registries, so if this is
a concern for a new deployment you're not out of luck (yet). There is
a compatibility mechanism, so you can still receive routes sourced
from (or passing through) 32 bit ASNs, they will simply appear as AS
23456. Even if you have 32-bit ASN-compatible gear, all your direct
peers need to support it as well (more or less), and many providers
still don't have support for this yet (for example, the 7600 platform
only just got support with 12.2(33) SRE0, and no one in their right
mind is running it in production yet).
A great resource for information on 32-bit ASN's is
http://www.nanog.org/meetings/nanog45/presentations/Tuesday/Hankins_4byteASN_N45.pdf
GG
Yes Gary, I understood how to run 16bit ASN with 32bit ASN, I'm just trying to confirm/understand how it is supported today on Cisco hardware.
I have seen for instance policy change in APNIC, as since this year they assign 32bits ASN (which could fall in the 16bit part if you are lucky) but if you want a 16bit, then you need to justify. I feel this policy is a bit premature as hardware does not support it. I guess this exhaustion is not as critical as for IPv4, but still...
To come back, to your statement that says it is just supported on 7200, means you cannot use a 32bit ASN in production today on any hardware?
It doesn't mean anything like that.
As the software is available for some time already, you can
run 32bit ASN in production today, and actually people do that.
Nothing fancy.
For the list of software versions supporting 32 bit ASN please
referer to this document:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/iosswrel/ps6537/ps6554/ps6599/data_sheet_C78-521821.html
But yes, you can't run it on 2500 and 2600 as they're for long time
End of Life/Engineering/Support/Everything.
There's quite a bit of hardware that does support it, including JunOS
since 9.1 (I believe). But there's still a few lagging platforms
(especially on the Cisco side) that does not yet support it. IOS 15
does indeed support it, so there is support for it in mainline code on
the smaller routers. It's just that a few key platforms are still
missing it (or the code is too new to be useful). Keep in mind, the
2500's and I believe the 2600's have been EOL'd for quite some time
now, so you will never likely see support for those platforms.
GG
The AS4 Wiki has a list of software support for most vendors, as well as
a bunch of other information related to 32-bit ASNs.
http://as4.cluepon.net/index.php/Software_Support
More information is always welcome, if you'd like to add something.
Greg
To come back, to your statement that says it is just supported on 7200,
means you cannot use a 32bit ASN in production today on any hardware?
It doesn't mean anything like that.
As the software is available for some time already, you can
run 32bit ASN in production today, and actually people do that.
Nothing fancy.
For the list of software versions supporting 32 bit ASN please
referer to this document:
Service Provider Network and Technology Services - Cisco
Except that much of that early Cisco gear has forever warranty's on it
making that another mess for Mr. Pinto's organization to clean up.