Randy Bush wrote (on Wed 22-Sep-2010 at 16:31 +0100): ....

...

Probably a silly question, but can anyone explain to me this: 3561 3356 9031 {35821,35821,35821,35821} i

I suppose it could be trying to convey the aggregation of four routes from 35821 ? Or perhaps an AS with multiple personality disorder ? Or an aggregator with a sssstaaammer.

please support draft-wkumari-deprecate-as-sets-00.txt

It seems to me that this is really deprecating the aggregation of routes by BGP, except where the result is an existing less specific route ? That obviously means that AS_SET would not be necessary, but as an effect rather than the cause. One could also dump the AGGREGATOR and the AS4_AGGREGATOR attributes in the nearest waste bin. AND it would simplify the merging of AS_PATH and AS4_PATH attributes, which is a complete dogs breakfast... because it tries, in vain, to finesse its way out of the problem of an AS2 speaker aggregating routes with AS4_PATHs ! [Made even more galling by the sure and certain knowledge that aggregated routes are as exquisitely rare as they are useful.] And what about the truly, madly, deeply useless AS_CONFED_SET ? [A carbuncle's carbuncle if ever I saw one.] Vote early and vote often, say I. Chris