BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) handles aggregate attributes by allowing network administrators to group multiple IP prefixes into a single, summarized prefix or aggregate. This is done by configuring a BGP aggregate address with the network command in the BGP routing configuration.
When BGP receives a prefix that has been aggregated, it treats it as if it were the aggregate prefix. BGP then advertises the aggregated prefix to its neighbors, rather than individual prefixes. This reduces the amount of routing information that needs to be exchanged across the internet, which improves the scalability and efficiency of the network.
In addition, BGP also supports the use of the AS\_SET attribute, which is used to identify a set of autonomous system (AS) numbers through which the aggregate prefix has been learned. This attribute is used to prevent looping of traffic when routing between different ASes.
Overall, BGP’s handling of aggregate attributes is an important feature that helps to simplify and optimize the routing of internet traffic.
