BGP Route Change Verification Checklist

Inspection template for validating a planned BGP routing change converged as intended, with expected advertised and received prefixes, stable neighbor sessions, and no asymmetric paths.

Change Context and Scope

• Change ticket, maintenance window, and implementation time are documented
• Affected BGP peers, VRFs, or routing domains are identified
• Expected advertised prefixes are listed and match the approved change scope
• Expected received prefixes are listed and match the approved change scope

BGP Session Health

• All in-scope BGP neighbors are in Established state
• Neighbor uptime is stable and no recent session flaps are observed
• No BGP hold timer, keepalive, or reset anomalies are present
• Peer-specific policy changes were applied without unexpected session resets

Prefix Advertisement and Reception

• Advertised prefix count matches the approved change plan
• Received prefix count matches the expected inbound routing table
• No unexpected prefixes are present in the advertised or received route set
• Prefix filters, route-maps, or policy statements are behaving as intended

Path Selection and AS_PATH Verification

• Observed AS_PATH matches the expected path for the changed prefixes
• Next-hop selection is correct for the intended egress path
• Local preference, MED, and policy attributes reflect the approved design
• No route leakage or unintended path redistribution is detected

Convergence and Traffic Symmetry

• Routing table converged within the expected change window
• No asymmetric paths are observed for the affected prefixes
• Traceroute or flow sampling confirms expected forward and return paths
• No packet loss or latency spike is detected during post-change validation