True or False: BGP accepts unsolicited updates.

• A. True
• B. It depends on configuration.
• C. False; It must be aware of every neighboring router and have a neighbor statement for it.
• D. False; It can accept unsolicited updates from any neighbor.

Answer: (C)

BGP only accepts updates from peers with whom a session has been established, and that requires explicit configuration of each neighbor. You configure a neighbor statement for the remote router, ensure reachability, and then a TCP session is formed. Only after this session is up will route updates be exchanged between those two devices. If a router hears from a neighbor that isn’t configured as a BGP neighbor, its updates are ignored. That’s why the correct view is that updates are not accepted from arbitrary neighbors; the router must be aware of the neighbor and have a configured neighbor statement to establish the session.