Easy! IT | IT Term | Autonomous System (AS)
This article is being edited.
This article is a rough explanation of the Autonomous System(AS).
Everything might not be exactly correct in this article but it’s beneficial for beginners to understand IT terms. If you want to learn IT but don’t have any experience working in the IT industry, I hope it helps you understand IT. And I hope that this article motivates you to study IT more.
What is the Autonomous System(AS)?
- This is territory management in the world of the Internet.
- When referred to as “AS”, it stands for “Autonomous System”.
An Autonomous System(AS) is like a municipality within the country of the Internet.
To put it more simply,
it refers to the small networks that come together to form one big network, which is how we manage the vastness of the Internet. Consider its territorial boundaries in the internet world for administrative purposes, in case you’re still confused.
1. For what is AS?
For instance, let’s think about a pirate. A captain started by himself first.
And he found each of his crew members one by one.
They sank a lot of pirate ships during many adventures.
But suddenly he found it, which he’s got so many crew members that he can’t manage them all by himself.
So, he entrusted the management of the crew to reliable members who have been his friends since the beginning.
So it was that they divided one pirate into four fleets.
But in reality, they did not actually split up, and the navy recognizes them as a single pirate crew. The separation was merely for management convenience, and they still maintain close communication and coordination with each other.
Imagine the pirate in this story as the “Internet”. Each fleet would correspond to an “Autonomous System(AS)”.
The internet is like a really big web that connects computers all over the world. It’s so big that it’s impossible for just one person or group to control it all. It’s like trying to take care of a million plants all by yourself – it’s just too much!
So, each group manages a network that they can control by themselves.
And when the networks managed by each organization come together, they create one big world called the Internet:)
At that time, each organization has its own network to manage, which is called an “Autonomous System(AS)”.
By the way, I think I need to mention what organizations are. It refers to a network where individual communication service providers (ISPs), and companies communicate based on a unified operational policy and control information. Each is assigned an identification number called an “AS number”. This identification number is unique worldwide and does not overlap with other people’s numbers. When you say “AS number XXX!”, it becomes clear that you are referring to that network(Organization).
If you don’t know what ISPs are: Easy! IT | Network | ISP for Internet service | Japan Teams
And, please refer to this page to know how to connect ISPs & AS: Easy! IT | IT Term | Internet Exchange (IX) | Japan Teams
From here on, it is a bit technical, so please remember it if you have enough room in your brain.
Routing of packets on the internet is divided into inter-AS and intra-AS, each using different routing protocols (communication protocols) and route information. In the current Internet, BGP (Broader Gateway Protocol) is used for inter-AS routing control. Intra-AS routing is determined by the operational organization and various IGPs (Interior Gateway Protocol) such as OSPF and RIF are used.
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