1. is a protocol for exchanging routing information between two neighbour gateway hosts (each with its own router) in a network of autonomous systems. EGP is commonly used between hosts on the Internet to exchange routing table information. The routing table consists a list of known routers, the addresses they can reach, and a cost metric associated with the path to each router so that the best available route is chosen. Each router pols its neighbour at intervals between 120 and 480 seconds and the neighbour responds by sening its complete routing table. EGP-2 is the latest version of EGP. A more recent exterior gateway protocol, the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), provides additional capabilites. From EGP