Quagga

Quagga is a cool routing software suite that helps manage how data moves in networks. It supports various protocols like OSPFv2, RIP v1 and v2, RIPv3, and BGPv4, as well as OSPFv3, and works on Unix platforms like FreeBSD, Linux, Solaris, and NetBSD. Quagga actually started as a fork of GNU Zebra, which was developed by Kunihiro Ishiguro. The goal of Quagga is to bring together more people into the community compared to the older setup of GNU Zebra.

Understanding Quagga's Architecture

The Quagga setup includes a core daemon called zebra. This acts like a bridge between the software and the Unix kernel beneath it. It offers the Zserv API over Unix or TCP streams to clients using Quagga. These clients usually run specific routing protocols and send updates back to the zebra daemon.

Key Clients in Quagga

Here are some of the existing Zserv clients:

• ospfd: This one implements OSPFv2.


• ripd: Works with RIP v1 and V2.


• ospf6d: Handles OSPFv3 (IPv6).


• ripngd: Deals with RIP v3 (IPv6).


• bgpd: Manages BGPv4+ (with support for multicast and IPv6).

A Rich Development Library

The architecture of Quagga comes packed with a robust development library that makes it easier to build protocol/client daemons. Everything is designed to work well together in terms of configuration and management.

User-Friendly CLI Access

You can configure each Quagga daemon through a network-accessible command line interface (CLI), often called 'vty.' If you're familiar with other routing tools, you'll find this style similar. Plus, there’s an extra tool named 'vtysh', which serves as a unified front for all daemons. This means you can manage nearly everything from one place!

If you're ready to give it a try or just want more info, check out this link: Download Quagga!