rcc: Routing Configuration Checker
BGP Configuration Verifier
manual
-
installation and usage information
feedback
-
contact us: send us feature requests, etc.
Overview
We are building a tool called rcc (formerly known as
RoLex) that will allow network operators to verify that their
networks' router configurations satisfy high-level properties. rcc is
still in the development phase, but we are actively seeking operator
input to help us figure out what types of features, tools, etc., will be
most useful to the operator community.
Please help by sending us feature requests,
etc.!
Download, setup instructions, usage examples, demonstrations, etc., can
be found in the manual.
The state of the art for router configuration typically involves logging
configuration changes and rolling back to a previous version when a
problem arises. The lack of a formal reasoning framework means that
router configuration is time-consuming and ad hoc. Network operators
need tools based on systematic verification techniques to ensure that
BGP's operational behavior is consistent with the intended behavior
(i.e., that the network is operating ``correctly'').
We are designing a verification tool based on a new reasoning framework
that helps operators and protocol designers reason about high-level
properties of routing protocols.
Currently, the verification tool has the following two components:
- Constraint verifier. Note: Most of the active
development at this point is on this portion of the tool.
- Configuration browser.
rcc parses router configuration into a vendor-independent,
intermediate format, represented as relational database tables.
Implementation Status
We have recently augmented the tool to analyze both Cisco and Juniper
configurations.
New: Support for IGP. See the list of tests for more detail.
We would like to eventually add support for other routing configuration
languages and welcome assistance in doing so!
To-do list (planned features, etc.) (Updated 10/24/2005)
- Tests involving iBGP/IGP interaction
- Network-wide route prediction
- More iBGP-related tests. (i.e., will the iBGP configuration result
in persistent route oscillation?)
- IPv6 support
- RFC 2549 VPNs
Download
Please see the manual for download instructions.
Feedback: How you can help
The ultimate usefulness of this tool depends on feature requests, bug
reports, complaints, etc., from the operator community. (Active
operator involvement or access to selected configuration files, etc.,
might also speed the development process...hint, hint.)
We could really use operator help in any of the following ways:
- Suggestions for aspects of BGP configuration that typically need to
be checked.
- Providing access to router configuration files.
- Running the tool on your configuration files and reporting findings.
- Development.
You can provide feedback here , or you
may contact
bgp-config at the domain
nms.lcs.mit.edu.
Papers, Talks, etc.
Papers
Please see the Routing Project Web page for a
full list of papers.
Selected Talks
- rcc: Router Configuration Checker,
NANOG 35. Los Angeles, CA. October 24, 2005. [.pdf]
- Detecting BGP Configuration Faults with Static Analysis,
2nd Usenix Symposium on Networked Systems Design and
Implementation. Boston, MA. May 2, 2005. [.pdf]
- Verifying Wide-Area Routing Configuration,
NANOG
31. San Francisco, CA. May 24, 2004. [.html]
- A Systematic Approach to BGP Configuration
Checking,
NANOG
29. Chicago, IL. October 21, 2003. [.html]
- Wide-Area Routing: The Devil is in the Configuration
Workshop on Internet
Routing Evolution and Design,
Mount Hood, OR. October
7, 2003. [.html] [.pdf]
More information can be found here.