Alarm threshold for BGP flapping detection

A tangible computer-usable medium having stored thereon computer readable instructions for generating a multiple border gateway protocol session flapping alarm for a router deployed in an autonomous system network, wherein execution of the computer readable instructions by a processor causes the processor to perform operations comprising:

• determining that the router has experienced a flap in a border gateway protocol session with a second router, based on a receipt of a “down” alarm and a receipt of an “up” alarm regarding the border gateway protocol session within a predetermined flap time period;
• upon determining that the router has experienced the flap in the border gateway protocol session with the second router, determining a total number of flaps experienced by the router with the second router and with additional routers with which the router has border gateway protocol sessions, within a predetermined flap count time period;
• and
• generating the multiple border gateway protocol session flapping alarm when the total number of flaps experienced by the router exceeds a predetermined flap count alarm threshold.

A tangible computer-usable medium having stored thereon computer readable instructions for generating multiple border gateway protocol session flapping alarms for routers deployed in an autonomous system network, wherein execution of the computer readable instructions by a processor causes the processor to perform operations comprising:

• receiving a border gateway protocol session “down” alarm at a first router from a second router in the autonomous system network;
• starting a session “up” count for the border gateway protocol session between the first and second routers and means for starting a flap time period P;
• if a border gateway protocol session “up” alarm is received by the first router from the second router within the flap time period P, means for starting a flapping count for the first router with one flap registered and means for starting a predetermined flapping time period Q;
• counting every flap the first router experiences with each router that the first router has a link with in the autonomous system network;
• and
• comparing the flap count to a predetermined alarm threshold N, wherein N is a number of flaps, and if the first router experiences N number of flaps from all first router BGP sessions within the flapping time period Q, means for generating a multiple session flapping alarm for the first router.