How to configure BGP Peer Group
BGP peer groups are used to simplify configuration and to improve performance. It can be used when a router has a group of neighbors with the same update policies. The update is generated once per group rather than for each neighbor.
To create and use a peer group follow next steps:
- type
neighbor group-name peer-group
to create a peer-group, wheregroup-name
is the name that you give to the peer group. - next, enter
neighbor ip-address peer-group group-name
command, which will make a neighbor to be part of peer group.
clear ip bgp peer-group group-name
command in exec mode.
Now, let’s proceed to configuration. Below you have the scenario that will be used.

router bgp 64520 neighbor 10.0.0.2 remote-as 64520 neighbor 10.0.0.2 update-source loopback 0 neighbor 10.0.0.2 next-hop-self neighbor 10.0.0.3 remote-as 64520 neighbor 10.0.0.3 update-source loopback 0 neighbor 10.0.0.3 next-hop-self neighbor 10.0.0.4 remote-as 64520 neighbor 10.0.0.4 update-source loopback 0 neighbor 10.0.0.4 next-hop-self
With this configuration BGP updates will be generated for each neighbor, but if use peer group, updates are generated once per peer-group. If to use BGP peer-group, configuration on BORDER router will look like this:
router bgp 64520 neighbor local peer-group neighbor local remote-as 64520 neighbor local update-source loopback 0 neighbor local next-hop-self neighbor 10.0.0.2 peer-group local neighbor 10.0.0.3 peer-group local neighbor 10.0.0.4 peer-group local
The name of BGP peer-group is local, this you can see from configuration above, also we get a more robust configuration.
That’s all for now, I wish all the best to you!
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Comments (12)
Ste
| #
you said above: neighbor ip-address peer-group group-name
so, if the group-name is “local”, why dont we have:
neighbor 10.0.0.2 peer-group local?
Reply
admin
| #
Sorry for the mistake, yes, it must be “neighbor 10.0.0.2 peer-group local” as you said. I have corrected it.
Reply
CiscoStud
| #
Very good and helpful! Thank you 🙂
Reply
jay
| #
Humble thanx for such a short and precised note on peer group.
Want to know regarding the outbound policy which are supposed to be same for all the routers in the group. In what means they are supposed to be same . They may have different connections to different networks. Can u plz through some light.
Reply
admin
| #
Hi Jay, The meaning of “the same update policies” is that from a router perspective update policies related to a group of neighbors are the same, like “update source”,”next hop self” and so on.
Reply
gurmeet
| #
Nice!!!
Reply
CCIE Dra
| #
Veryyyy Wellllllllllll
Reply
Ratha
| #
do we need IGP in AS 64520? if need, why?
thank for your support!
Reply
admin
| #
Hi Ratha,
All the routers inside AS 64520 that need to establish iBGP sessions, need to be reachable with each other. So, to achieve this you need an IGP, if not a dynamic IGP, at least static routes to each other.
BR
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Amjad
| #
Thank you.
Reply
D.P
| #
In updates or policies sending direction in current peer group will be as below,
out-bound Update or policies from Border router to all neighbor will send to group. But in-bound updates or policies from each neighbor to Border router will send directly to Border router instead of sending to group.
Reply
Mukesh Gupta
| #
ROUTER1
router bgp 1
no synchronization
bgp log-neighbor-changes
neighbor LOCAL peer-group
neighbor LOCAL remote-as 1
neighbor LOCAL update-source Loopback3
neighbor 192.168.23.1 peer-group LOCAL
no auto-summary
ROuter2-
router bgp 1
no synchronization
bgp log-neighbor-changes
neighbor LOCAL peer-group
neighbor LOCAL remote-as 1
neighbor LOCAL update-source Loopback2
neighbor LOCAL next-hop-self
neighbor 192.168.23.2 peer-group LOCAL
no auto-summary
Router#show ip bgp summary
BGP router identifier 2.2.2.2, local AS number 1
BGP table version is 1, main routing table version 1
Neighbor V AS MsgRcvd MsgSent TblVer InQ OutQ Up/Down State/PfxRcd
192.168.23.2 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 never Active
Router#
plz help
Reply