Are there any reasons to not use BFD?

Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) is a routing protocol used to exchange routing information between different autonomous systems (ASes) on the Internet. It is an important part of the Internet’s infrastructure, as it enables the different ASes to communicate with each other.

Border Gateway Protocol Fast Detection (BFD) is an extension of BGP that provides faster detection of link failures and decreases the convergence time of BGP. It is useful when changes in the network topology occur quickly and there is a need for faster detection and faster convergence.

Despite its advantages, there are some reasons not to use BFD. The most obvious one is that it requires additional configuration on the router, which can be complicated and time-consuming. Furthermore, it adds an extra layer of complexity to the network, which can make troubleshooting more difficult.

Another issue is that BFD is not suitable for all types of networks. It is designed for use in large, complex networks with high availability requirements. If the network is small and not very complex, BFD may not be necessary, and using it could actually lead to performance degradation.

Finally, BFD is not compatible with all types of routers. If the router does not have hardware support for BFD, it will not be able to use it. Additionally, the router must support the specific version of BFD that is being used for it to be effective.

In conclusion, there are some reasons why an IT admin may not want to use BFD. It requires additional configuration, adds complexity, is not suitable for all types of networks, and may not be compatible with all routers. However, in some cases, it can be very beneficial and improve the performance of the network. It is important to weigh the pros and cons before deciding to implement BFD.