Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) Infrastructure

Many protocols uses slow Hello mechanisms and failure is detection usually seconds after the problem occurs. The BFD goal is to provide low overhead short duration detection of failures between adjacent nodes and single mechanism that can be used for liveness detection over any media.

BFD session is established by the application that uses it. There is no discovery mechanism. E.g. in OSPF BFD session is established to neighbors that were discovered by OSPF hello protocol.

BFD supports multiple modes: one of them is Asynchronous.

In Asynchronous mode a system periodically sends BFD packets to verify connectivity. If a number of packets in a row are not received – the session is declared down.

A system can be passive or active. Active system initiates BDF sessions. Both systems can be active. (Only active mode is supported.)

Warning

BFD is not yet supported for BGP unnumbered. Adjusting keepalive/hold timers may need to be considered to achieve faster convergence.

A session begins with exchange of control packets. When bidirectional communication is achieved – a session becomes Up.

After session becomes up – control packet rate can be incremented.

Each side informs the neighbor in what intervals it is going to send BFD packets and what minimum interval it can receive BFD packets is.

Detection time is different in both directions and depends on negotiated parameters.

In Asynchronous mode—agreed transmit interval or remote system—max between local minimum rx time and last received min transmit time.

Detection time is equal to agreed transmit interval of remote system multiplied to multiplier received from remote system.

BFD session can be single-hop or multi-hop:

  • Single hop session traverse between two adjacent IP neighbors. BFD control packet should be encapsulated in UDP with DPORT = 3784. SPORT should be in range 49152 to 65535. Same SPORT must be used for all control BFD packets for given session and is unique between different sessions. TTL value is 255.

  • Multi-hop sessions traverse between to remote ip neighbors. Control packets are encapsulated in UDP with DPORT = 4784.

If different protocols want to establish a BFD session with the same remote system for same data plane –they should share BFD session.

IPv4 and IPv6 data protocols have different BFD sessions.

In OSPF Protocol neighbor discovery protocol establishes single hop BFD sessions. For OSPF when session fails –it tears down OSPF neighbor.

BFD session is established to BGP neighbor (single hop or multiple hop).

Single hop BFD session can be established for static route next hop.

protocol bfd

protocol bfd
no protocol bfd

Enables bfd on a system level
The no form of the command removes bfd configuration.

Syntax Description

N/A

Default

N/A

Configuration Mode

config router bgp

History

3.6.4070

Example

switch (config router bgp)# protocol bfd

Related Commands

Notes

The command returns an error if BFD is enabled in clients already running on the system (static routes or BGP of OSPF)

bfd shutdown

bfd shutdown [vrf <vrf-name>]
no bfd shutdown [vrf <vrf-name>]

Disables bfd sessions but doesn't remove the configuration.
if VRF is not given the command will be executed in active VRF.

Syntax Description

N/A

Default

N/A

Configuration Mode

config router bgp

History

3.6.4070

Example

switch (config) # ip bfd shutdown

Related Commands

Notes

  • The command “no ip bfd shutdown” or BFD interval parameters modification are affect traffic for all protocols; OSPF, BGP, static routes. The dynamic protocols (OSPF and BGP) restore the connection based on Hello protocol.

  • For static routes, please execute “no ip route static bfd <ip address>”

bfd interval

bfd interval [vrf <vrf-name>] [transmit-rate] [min-rx] [multiplier]
no bfd interval

Sets the interval rates between BFD messages.
The no form of the command removes bfd interval rates.

Syntax Description

transmit-rate

Transfer time between two consecutive BFD messages, the actual time is negotiated between two systems
Range: 50-60000 (msec)

min_rx

Minimum time between neighbor messages, the actual time is negotiated between two systems
Range: 50-60000 (msec)

multiplier

Defines a time period to detect BFD failure
Range: 3-50

Default

transmit-rate – 300
min-rx – 150
multiplier – 3

Configuration Mode

config

History

3.6.4070

Example

switch (config) # ip bfd interval transmit-rate 300 multiplier 3 min-rx 300 force

Related Commands

Notes

The command is executed in the active VRF if a VRF is not specified

ip ospf bfd

ip ospf bfd
no ip ospf bfd

Enables BFD on the given interface for all OSPF neighbors on a number of active sessions.
The no form of the command disables BFD on all OSPF neighbors.

Syntax Description

N/A

Default

N/A

Configuration Mode

config interface ethernet

History

3.6.4070

3.6.4110

Added “no” form of the command

Example

switch (config interface ethernet 1/2)# ip ospf bfd

Related Commands

Notes

The command “ip ospf bfd” affects traffic, OSPF restores the connection based on Hello protocol

ip route bfd

ip route [vrf <vrf_name>] <prefix> <next_hop> bfd
no ip route [vrf <vrf_name>] <prefix> <next_hop> bfd

Configures static route with BFD enabled on a specified VRF.
The no form of the commands removes the route.

Syntax Description

vrf-name

VRF session name

prefix

Subnet IP address

next_hop

IP address of next hop

Default

N/A

Configuration Mode

config

History

3.6.4070

3.7.1100

Updated command syntax and Example

Example

switch (config) # ip route vrf default 1.1.1.0/24 3.3.3.3 bfd

Related Commands

Notes

When a session fails, all static routes pointing to the specified gateway are removed from the routing decision

show ip route static

show ip route [vrf [<vrf-name> | all]] static

Displays static routing table of VRF instance.

Syntax Description

all

Displays routing tables for all VRF instances

vrf

VRF name

Default

Default vrf

Configuration Mode

Any command mode

History

3.6.4070

3.7.1100

Update command syntax

Example

switch (config) # show ip route vrf default static

Related Commands

ip route

Notes

If no routing-context is specified, the “routing-context” VRF is automatically displayed

show ip bfd neighbors

show ip bfd [vrf <name> | all] neighbors [brief | <ip>]

Displays BFD table of neighbor VRF instances.

Syntax Description

all

Displays tables for all VRF instances

Default

N/A

Configuration Mode

Any command mode

History

3.6.4110

Example

switch (config) # show ip bgp neighbors 1000::1040

BGP neighbor: 1000::1040, remote AS: 100, link: external
BGP version: 4, remote router ID: 2.1.1.1
BGP State: ESTABLISHED
Last read: 0:00:09:28, last write: 0:00:09:28, hold time is: 180, keepalive interval in seconds: 60
BFD State: Up
Configured hold time in seconds: 180, keepalive interval in seconds: 60
Minimum holdtime from neighbor in seconds: 180

Neighbor capabilities:
Route refresh: advertise and received
Graceful Restart Capability: advertise and received
Address family IPv4 Unicast: advertise and received
Address family IPv6 Unicast: n/a

Message statistics:
InQ depth is: 0
OutQ depth is: 0
---- -----
Sent Rcvd
---- -----
Opens: 1 1
Notifications: 0 0
Updates: 4 4
Keepalives: 1587 1593
Route Refresh: 0 0
Total: 1592 1598
Default minimum time between advertisement runs in seconds: 30

For address family: IPv4 Unicast
BGP table version: 7
Output queue size : 0

---- ----
Sent Rcvd
Prefix activity: ---- ----
Prefixes Current: 4 2
Prefixes Total: 4 2
Implicit Withdraw: 0 0
Explicit Withdraw: 0 0
Used as bestpath: n/a 2
Used as multipath: n/a n/a

-------- -------
Outbound Inbound
Local Policy Denied Prefixes: -------- -------
Total: 0 0

Connections established: 1; dropped: 1
Last reset: 0:23:01:17, due to: 0 (0)
External BGP neighbor possible distance in hops: 1
Connection state is: ESTABLISHED
Local host: 1.1.1.1, Local port: 49616
Foreign host: 1000::1040, Foreign port: 179

Related Commands

Notes

© Copyright 2023, NVIDIA. Last updated on May 23, 2023.