I would like to have RD and RT explained to me without using any network terms minus those names. For example use food or animals or something very simple that everyone understands including people who do not understand what networking is.
Thats a trick I use to help others when its confusing I love analogies and stories.
Here is what I think RD and RT is using my trick listed above:
If you had two dogs who were identical twins and you need to differentiate between them in addition if you needed the dogs to make their way across a park with multiple exits what would you need to do?
- you could put a collar on each dog with his name (this is your Route Distinguisher)
- you needed the specific dog to exit at the specific place in the park you have someone call his name at one of the entrances. (this is your Route Target).
then from that explanation I can even state it simpler:
- RD = specific identifier of a route just as name implies.
- RT = tells it what path to take “target deals with location where you need to go"
now if that is correct, if not please give me a better animal/food/car/human some sort of analogy that does not use networking explains and all people know, then we can go back and start adding in the more technical stuff.
For Example, someone posted on forums that with MPLS all the attributes that normally are used with BGP for path choice are not there so we in order to find our path and where we are going we have to add a RT etc…
One thing I dont know is if the RT is also part of what goes with the Dog along with his collar (RD). If it does then might say add a electric shocker(RT) to the dogs collar(RD) that shocks him if he starts down the wrong path. This would mean all the information is included with the item that needed to travel to the correct spot; the dog in this case. It would also be different for each identical dog and identify them as well as have them travel where they needed.
Anyway let me know if what I have stated here is correct and if not use the rule to explain without network terms.
Jumping back over to network terminology I wonder if we can see all that in a wireshark capture the RD and RT and if its all the same packet or some sort of encapsulation like a frame is inside of a packet etc… first you have the RD in there maybe then that is inside the RT? but thats only if my above premise was correct I guess.
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On next lesson I see the RT within the BGP Protocol update message specifically the Path Attribute - extended communities Then carried extended communities!
I also see the RD under Path Attributes MP_reach_NLRI then Label stack 19 which relates I think to I read about something label 19 in the lesson I will have to review.
so that really brings it home from a technical view and I got a big kick out of seeing this in the message update which is so important in BGP states where you have OpenSent awaiting Open Message which will then be checked for errors and if no errors will move on to OpenConfirm where keep alives will be sent then Established. So that wireshark on the next lesson really helped me see the information and also was like a oh wow moment this is cool!
should be a message at end of this lesson that says read through next lesson and most of your questions will be answered lol…