What does the term ‘BGP Neighbor’ refer to?

The term "BGP Neighbor" specifically refers to a router that is maintaining a Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) session with another router. In BGP, routers establish peer connections to exchange routing information, and these peers are typically known as BGP neighbors. This concept is central to how BGP operates, as the protocol relies on these established relationships to share and propagate routing information across different networks.

The establishment of a BGP session involves multiple steps, including exchanging Open messages, configuring the correct parameters (such as Autonomous System numbers), and ensuring the neighboring routers can communicate effectively. This relationship is crucial for the functionality of BGP as a path vector protocol used for routing data across the internet.

In contrast, the other options refer to different networking concepts. A static route, for example, does not involve dynamic interactions between routers and does not pertain to BGP directly. Similarly, while a routing protocol is necessary for exchanging data, it does not specify the peer-to-peer relationship highlighted by the term "BGP Neighbor." Lastly, methods of preventing routing loops are essential in network design but do not define the notion of a BGP neighbor.