rfc

 

4.2.2.  Generating Updates

   When communicating with an OLD BGP speaker, a NEW speaker MUST send
   the AS path information in the AS_PATH attribute encoded with 2-octet
   AS numbers.  The NEW speaker MUST also send the AS path information
   in the AS4_PATH attribute (encoded with 4-octet AS numbers), except
   for the case where the entire AS path information is composed of 2-
   octet AS numbers only.  In this case, the NEW speaker SHOULD NOT send
   the AS4_PATH attribute.

   In the AS_PATH attribute encoded with 2-octet AS numbers, non-
   mappable 4-octet AS numbers are represented by the well-known 2-octet
   AS number, AS_TRANS.  This will preserve the path length property of
   the AS path information and also help in updating the AS path
   information received on a NEW BGP speaker from an OLD speaker, as
   explained in the next section.

   The NEW speaker constructs the AS4_PATH attribute from the
   information carried in the AS_PATH attribute.  In the case where the
   AS_PATH attribute contains either AS_CONFED_SEQUENCE or AS_CONFED_SET
   path segments, the NEW speaker, when constructing the AS4_PATH
   attribute from the AS_PATH attribute, MUST exclude such path
   segments.  The AS4_PATH attribute will be carried across a series of
   OLD BGP speakers without modification and will help preserve the
   truly 4-octet AS numbers in the AS path information.

   Similarly, if the NEW speaker has to send the AGGREGATOR attribute,
   and if the aggregating Autonomous System's AS number is truly 4-
   octets, then the speaker constructs the AS4_AGGREGATOR attributes by
   taking the attribute length and attribute value from the AGGREGATOR
   attribute and placing them into the attribute length and attribute
   value of the AS4_AGGREGATOR attribute, and sets the AS number field
   in the existing AGGREGATOR attribute to the reserved AS number,
   AS_TRANS.  Note that if the AS number is 2-octets only, then the
   AS4_AGGREGATOR attribute SHOULD NOT be sent.