BGP Peering

KanREN supports standards-based BGP peering sessions.

KanREN BGP sessions can also be configured to send communities to the downstream peer. Current communities supported by the KanREN backbone are:

  • Commodity Internet
  • GPN / Internet2 R&E
  • GPN / Internet2 Commercial Peering Services
  • DISC / KANWIN
  • Kan-ed
  • Sunflower Broadband
  • Emporia State University
  • Fort Hays State University
  • Kansas State University
  • University of Kansas
  • KU Medical Center
  • Pittsburg State University
  • Wichita State University
  • Additional AS-peered members (added as needed)...

The use of communities makes it very simple to filter BGP advertisements to downstream peers; thus saving hardware resources for member institutions until routing hardware can be upgraded. Communities also allow downstream peers to quickly filter available routes based upon where the route originated in the KanREN backbone.

What is BGP?

The Border Gateway Protocol is designed for Autonomous Systems to exchange routes with one another. It would not be a stretch to say that The Internet would not exist as we know it today without BGP.

The following diagram depicts the basics of BGP peering.

The site router initiates a BGP peering session with the KanREN backbone node. The two routers then exchange routes, allowing the KanREN backbone to "learn" routes from the site and the site to have an entire routing table.

Do I Need BGP?

Before a BGP session can be established, the connecting member must first petition ARIN for a public Autonomous System Number (ASN). The forms for requesting the resource can be found on the ARIN website.

Generally speaking, members wishing to connect via a BGP session also bring their own ARIN assigned public IP addresses. While it is possible for KanREN to assign a block from our allocations, most members opt for KanREN to handle the advertisements in these cases.

Once an ASN has been assigned, KanREN works with the member site to establish a peering session to the nearest core network node. KanREN works with each BGP member to build the best service possible.

If your organization is interested in BGP peering with KanREN, please contact us!

Non-Transit Peering

KanREN also connects to other regional Internet Service Providers for peer route exchange. This allows the KanREN network to quickly reach end users without utilizing commodity Internet or Internet2 bandwidth. These "settlement free peering" arrangements also provide significantly increased performance for all users in the form of higher bandwidth and lower latency connections.

Settlement Free Peering arrangements are approved on a case-by-case basis. Any ISP that would like to peer with KanREN should contact KanREN's Executive Director or Assistant Director.