Error Code Value

Code Name

Description

1

Message Header Error

A problem was detected either with the contents or length of the BGP header. The Error Subcode provides more details on the nature of the problem.

2

Open Message Error

A problem was found in the body of an Open message. The Error Subtype field describes the problem in more detail. Note that authentication failures or inability to agree on a parameter such as hold time are included here.

3

Update Message Error

A problem was found in the body of an Update message. Again, the Error Subtype provides more information. Many of the problems that fall under this code are related to issues detected in the routing data or path attributes sent in the Update message, so these messages provide feedback about such problems to the device sending the erroneous data.

4

Hold Timer Expired

A message was not received before the hold time expired. See the description of the Keepalive message for details on this timer.

5

Finite State Machine Error

The BGP finite state machine refers to the mechanism by which the BGP software on a peer moves from one operating state to another based on events (see the TCP finite state machine description for some background on this concept). If an event occurs that is unexpected for the state the peer is currently in, it will generate this error.

6

Cease

Used when a BGP device wants to break the connection to a peer for a reason not related to any of the error conditions described by the other codes.

Error Type

Error Subcode Value

Subcode Name

Description

Message Header Error (Error Code 1)

1

Connection Not Synchronized

The expected value in the Marker field was not found, indicating that the connection has become unsynchronized. See the description of the Marker field.

2

Bad Message Length

The message was less than 19 bytes, greater than 4096 bytes, or not consistent with what was expected for the message type.

3

Bad Message Type

The Type field of the message contains an invalid value.

Open Message Error (Error Code 2)

1

Unsupported Version Number

The device does not “speak” the version number its peer is trying to use.

2

Bad Peer AS

The router doesn't recognize the peer's autonomous system number or is not willing to communicate with it.

3

Bad BGP Identifier

The BGP Identifier field is invalid.

4

Unsupported Optional Parameter

The Open message contains an optional parameter that the recipient of the message doesn't understand.

5

Authentication Failure

The data in the Authentication Information optional parameter could not be authenticated.

6

Unacceptable Hold Time

The router refuses to open a session because the proposed hold time its peer specified in its Open message is unacceptable.

Update Message Error (Error Code 3)

1

Malformed Attribute List

The overall structure of the message's path attributes is incorrect, or an attribute has appeared twice.

2

Unrecognized Well-Known Attribute

One of the mandatory well-known attributes was not recognized.

3

Missing Well-Known Attribute

One of the mandatory well-known attributes was not specified.

4

Attribute Flags Error

An attribute has a flag set to a value that conflicts with the attribute's type code.

5

Attribute Length Error

The length of an attribute is incorrect.

6

Invalid Origin Attribute

The Origin attribute has an undefined value.

7

AS Routing Loop

A routing loop was detected.

8

Invalid Next_Hop Attribute

The Next_Hop attribute is invalid.

9

Optional Attribute Error

An error was detected in an optional attribute.

10

Invalid Network Field

The Network Layer Reachability Information field is incorrect.

11

Malformed AS_Path

The AS_Path attribute is incorrect.