Subject: How does comm-list attrib of route object work?

From: "Robert J. Neilson" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1998 13:51:29 -0800

I noticed that there is a "comm-list" attribute for the RPSL route object. I
assume that I can use this to specify community tags for specific routes in
the route object itself.

My question is: does this mean that the comm tags defined in the route
object are still associated with this route object when it is exported? I
would expect so. We have been specifically setting community tags in the
aut-num objects with the "action community =" line, and it now seems to me
that this may not be the best way of defining our policies (we use a number
of different community tags that need to be set when the routes are exported
from an AS).

A sort of related question is: does rtconfig interpret community tag lists
in route objects that are exported? (yes, I know I should go do a test - but
I am looking for a quick answer!).

Thanks,
Rob <[email-masked]>

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From: Cengiz Alaettinoglu <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 10:24:05 -0800 (PST)

> assume that I can use this to specify community tags for specific routes in

comm-list attribute is not part of RPSL. It was part of RIPE-181 and
predated BGP community attribute. It was a mechanism to collect set of 
related routes together, not a way to assign BGP communities. It is
replaced by route-set object and member-of attribute in RPSL.

> of different community tags that need to be set when the routes are exported

"action community =" is the only way. You could use route-sets to make 
this simpler though:

export: to as-any action community = {1}; announce rs-comm1
export: to as-any action community = {2}; announce rs-comm2

> I am looking for a quick answer!).

no.

> Rob <[email-masked]>

Cengiz

-- 
Cengiz Alaettinoglu           Information Sciences Institute
http://www.isi.edu/~cengiz    University of Southern California