A /16 summary encloses two /24 components and unfilled space. One component can disappear while the other retains its route; unmatched summary traffic at the aggregator needs discard handling.

BGP aggregation shrinks the routing table

Aggregation can replace several more-specific advertisements with one covering prefix. It reduces downstream table entries only where the specifics are actually suppressed and no alternative peer supplies them. The components need not fill the whole summary: advertising a sparse block also attracts traffic for its holes. Aggregation therefore combines a scaling decision with a reachability and ownership decision. ...

October 8, 2027 · 4 min · XB Field Notes