More info: Per Avi's suggestion, I implemented this route map for all outbound advertisements: route-map addone permit 10 set metric +1 (assumes match all) I'm running IOS 11.2 or 11.1(11) on the routers. The Command reference for 11.1 and 11.2 does not mention the ability to use +1 to increment, but the online command "help" shows: Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z. router(config)#route-map addone router(config-rou)#set metric ? +/-<metric> Add or subtract metric <0-4294967295> Metric value or IGRP bandwidth in Kbits per second <cr> Does this really mean "Add one", or "Reset to Positive 1"? -Andy -- Andy McConnell アンディ マッコネル Network Architect, NTT Multimedia Communications Laboratories Slogan of 105.9, the classic rock radio station in Chicago: "Of all the radio stations in Chicago ... we're one of them." On Fri, 6 Mar 1998, Andy McConnell wrote: andym> I have a problem I cannot solve. If anyone is running confederations like andym> mine, I would appreciate some help :-) andym> andym> We have a 4-memberAS confederation, each with two IBGP peers. The andym> arrangement looks sort of like an octagon. the "r" is AS3 is an internal andym> hop, not a BGP peer. andym> andym> _______ ______ andym> | R-----R---r | andym> | / | | | | andym> |AS2 R | |AS3 R | andym> ----|-- ----|- andym> | | andym> ____|__ ____|_ andym> |AS4 R | |AS1 R | andym> | \ | | / | andym> | R-------R | andym> ------- ------ andym> andym> The problem is this: How do you get BGP to choose the shortest "AS PATH", andym> since internal AS paths are ignored in selecting BGP routes? Right now, andym> to top router in AS4 will always choose a route through (2 3 1) instead of andym> (1), because it prefers "external" routes (even external confederation andym> routes) over internal routes. andym> andym> So, when given a choice, the router on the distant side of the AS will andym> ALWAYS prefer the three-AS-hop path, because it is external. Is there a andym> way around this?!? andym> andym> Avi Freedman suggested using a +1 metric when leaving each member-AS. andym> (Thanks Avi!) But it doesn't seem to help - perhaps I didn't do it right. andym> In fact, it doesn't look like the metrics are adjusted more than 1. for andym> example, from AS2, the lower router sees every route outside of AS2 as andym> having only metric 1! The top router in AS3 does not add 1 to the metrics andym> it readvertises to AS2. andym> andym> I've been stewing over this problem for some time... I believe there is andym> some clue that I've missed. Any help would be greatly appreciated! andym> andym> -Andy andym> andym> andym> -- andym> Andy McConnell アンディ マッコネル andym> Network Architect, NTT Multimedia Communications Laboratories andym> andym> Writing about music is like dancing about architecture. andym>