Independent Resources Definitions and terminology

1. What are independent resources?
2. What is a Local Internet Registry (LIR)?
3. What is a "sponsoring" LIR?
4. What is a Direct Assignment User?
5. What is an End User Assignment Agreement?
6. Should the End User Assignment Agreement be in English?


LIR

7. Do we need to draw up a new End User Assignment Agreement for each resource, or is one per End User sufficient?
8. Why do I need to draw up End User Assignment Agreements with the End Users of independent assignments?
9. I want to request independent resources for one of my customers. What do I need to do?
10. How should I send the End User Assignment Agreement and company registration document?
11. What happens with the independent resources assigned prior to March 2009? What if the End Users of these resources are no longer my customers?
12. Am I responsible for registration information in the RIPE Database regarding independent resources assigned to my customers?
13. A customer organisation has changed its name. Can I simply update the name in the independent resource objects in the RIPE Database?


End Users

14. My company needs resources. What are my options?
15. I requested independent resources through an LIR that no longer exists. What do I need to do?
16. I currently have Provider Independent resources; however, I plan to set up a service that will provide my customers with assignments. What should I do?
17. I have independent resources. Should I have a maintainer on the objects registered in the RIPE Database?

1. What are independent resources?

Independent resources are assignments made directly from the RIPE NCC to the End User. Independent resources include:

• Autonomous System Numbers (ASNs)
• Provider Independent (PI) address space assignments
• Anycast assignments
• IPv6 Internet Exchange Point (IXP) address space assignments

2. What is a Local Internet Registry (LIR)?

Local Internet Registry (LIR) is a term used to describe the members of the RIPE NCC. They are called LIRs because they are responsible for the distribution of address space and registration of the address space on a local level.

LIRs also ensure that policies and procedures are followed on the local level. Organisations that become LIRs are mainly Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that assign and allocate address space on to their customers, telecom and enterprise organisations, as well as academic institutions. For more information about Local Internet Registries please see the Membership section.

3. What is a "sponsoring" LIR?

Any LIR can be described as a "sponsoring" LIR if it facilitates an End User obtaining resources directly from the RIPE NCC. A sponsoring LIR will set up an End User Assignment Agreement with their customer (the End User), and request the resources from the RIPE NCC on their behalf.

As indicated in the End User Assignment Agreement, the sponsoring LIR is responsible for keeping the registration data up to date. This includes helping the End User to update their objects if required, for example, if new contacts need to be added or if the routing policy of the End User changes.

It also includes informing the RIPE NCC if the assignments are no longer required, or if the contract is changed or otherwise terminated.

4. What is a Direct Assignment User?

A Direct Assignment User is an End User that has set up an End User Assignment Agreement directly with the RIPE NCC, rather than through a sponsoring LIR. The Direct Assignment User can request independent resources from the RIPE NCC, without having to rely on the services of an LIR.

Unlike LIRs (Local Internet Registries), Direct Assignment Users are not members of the RIPE NCC.

This means that Direct Assignment Users cannot request allocations of Provider Aggregatable (PA) address space, nor can they request independent resources for a customer or other third party. Direct Assignment Users may not attend the RIPE NCC General Meeting, nor do they have voting rights. They will only receive services related to independent resourc

5. What is an End User Assignment Agreement?

The End User Assignment Agreement is a document that meets the requirements as outlined in the Contractual Requirements for Provider Independent Resource Holders in the RIPE NCC Service Region [http://www.ripe.net/membership/lir-end-user-requirements.html]. Such an agreement must be set up between the End User of independent resources and a sponsoring LIR, or (in the case of a Direct Assignment User) between the End User of independent resources and the RIPE NCC.

This agreement requires that registration of the independent resources be kept up-to-date. The RIPE NCC must be informed of any changes to the contractual arrangement, including if an End User moves to another LIR, or ceases to exist.

At the minimum, an End User Assignment Agreement between an End User ("resource holder") and sponsoring LIR should include:

• That the sponsoring LIR is responsible for liaising with the resource holder to keep registration records up-to-date
• That the resource holder is obliged to provide up-to-date registration data to the LIR and that some or all of this registration data will be published in the RIPE Database
• That none of the Provider Independent resources may be sub-assigned to a third party
• Notice that the resource holder is obliged to pay an annual fee to the LIR for the resources
• A clear statement that the resources will return by default to the RIPE NCC if:
• The resource holder cannot be contacted
• The annual fee to the LIR is not paid
• A clear statement that the use of resources is subject to RIPE policies as published on the RIPE website. These policies may be amended from time to time.

6. Should the End User Assignment Agreement be in English?

No, the End User Assignment Agreement may be in your local language.

However, there is an example End User Assignment Agreement available in English, which you can use.

LIR

7. Do we need to draw up a new End User Assignment Agreement for each resource, or is one per End User sufficient?

The agreement is between two parties: the RIPE NCC or sponsoring LIR and the End User. A single agreement can therefore cover several independent resources, as long as the two parties to the agreement remain the same.

Sponsoring LIRs sending requests on behalf of the End User should include a copy of the agreement with each additional resource request.

Direct Assignment Users do not have to include the agreement with additional requests. As their agreement is with the RIPE NCC directly, the RIPE NCC will have a copy of the contract on file.

8. Why do I need to draw up End User Assignment Agreements with the End Users of independent assignments?

This is required as all RIPE resource policies now refer to the 'Contractual Requirements for Provider Independent Resource Holders in the RIPE NCC Service Region'.

This agreement requires that registration data be kept up to date. Hence it allows the RIPE NCC to keep better track of resource usage by End Users. If the End User moves to another LIR, or ceases to exist, the RIPE NCC will be informed of the contractual changes, and will be able to take appropriate action regarding the resources.

9. I want to request independent resources for one of my customers. What do I need to do?

You are required to set up an End User Assignment Agreement with your customer. This agreement should meet the requirements as listed in Contractual Requirements for Provider Independent Resource Holders in the RIPE NCC Service Region .

You will need to provide a copy of this agreement with the request you send to the RIPE NCC. Additionally you will need to supply company registration papers [http://www.ripe.net/info/faq/rs/company-reg.html].

Please make sure that the organisation name is exactly the same in:

• The request form
• The End User Assignment Agreement
• The company registration document
• The "org-name:" field of the organisation object for this customer

10. How should I send the End User Assignment Agreement and company registration document?

You can attach a scan of the document (preferably as a PDF) to your request form.

Alternatively you can send it by fax. When you send your request form you will get a reply with the ticket number for your request. Be sure to include this ticket number on the fax.

Our fax number is +31 20 535 4445.

11. What happens with the independent resources assigned prior to March 2009? What if the End Users of these resources are no longer my customers?

End User Assignment Agreements will need to be established between the RIPE NCC or a sponsoring LIR and the End Users of these resources. However, the RIPE NCC is still working on an implementation plan for this aspect of the policy. More information on this will be made available in time.

12. Am I responsible for registration information in the RIPE Database regarding independent resources assigned to my customers?

Yes. The End User must provide any updates to you, and you must help them update the registration information in the RIPE Database if necessary. This is covered in the End User Assignment Agreement.

13. A customer organisation has changed its name. Can I simply update the name in the independent resource objects in the RIPE Database?

No, you will need to contact the RIPE NCC regarding such changes, and you will need to provide legal documents that confirm the name change. This enables the RIPE NCC to ensure that all records are up-to-date.

You can initiate the End User name change procedure by sending a reply to the original request ticket. If you do not have this ticket number available, you can send the request to <lir-help@ripe.net>.

End Users

14. y company needs resources. What are my options?

There are several ways to request resources. You could:

• Request resources through an existing LIR
• Become an LIR
• Request independent resources

If you request IP address space through an existing LIR you will have the option to request either Provider Aggregatable (PA) or Provider Independent (PI) address space.

PA address space is part of a larger block of addresses allocated to the LIR. This means that the LIR can aggregate the assignments for their infrastructure and their customers into a single route. PI address space is not part of an allocation made to an LIR. Because of this it cannot be aggregated, and will always need to be announced as a separate route. It can be difficult to get small networks routed on the Internet.

Autonomous System Numbers (ASNs) are always provider independent.

If you wish to make assignments for your customers and/or the size of your network will change dramatically over the next years, becoming an LIR may be a better option.

The RIPE NCC leaves the decision whether or not to become a Local Internet Registry (LIR) up to the organisation itself. Any organisation with a legally established office in the RIPE NCC service region can become an LIR. We advise organisations who require their own routeable block and are in need of a large amount of addresses (/21) to become an LIR. In other cases an organisation in need of addresses should first try to acquire address-space from an upstream provider to promote the conservation and aggregation goals as promoted by the RIPE community. For more information regarding the setup of a Local Internet Registry, please visit our membership area.

If your organisation requires independent resources but you do not want to request these through an LIR or become an LIR yourself, you can become a Direct Assignment User. To do this you will need to enter an End User Assignment Agreement with the RIPE NCC. This will enable you to request independent resources from the RIPE NCC directly.

15. I requested independent resources through an LIR that no longer exists. What do I need to do?

You should make sure that the contact information in the objects registered in the RIPE Database is correct. You will also need to establish a new End User Assignment Agreement between your organisation and a sponsoring LIR, or between your organisation and the RIPE NCC.

However, the RIPE NCC is still working on the implementation of this part of the policy. More information on this will be made available in time.

16. I currently have Provider Independent resources; however, I plan to set up a service that will provide my customers with assignments. What should I do?

It is not possible to sub-assign from an assignment, so you cannot use addresses obtained as independent resources for this purpose. Your options are:

• Request an address assignment from an LIR for both you and your customers. These addresses will be part of the LIR's own allocation, and are therefore not Provider Independent.
• Apply to become LIR yourself. You can then request your own PA allocation, which is independent from all other allocations. Within this allocation you can make assignments for your infrastructure and for your customers. The allocation is aggregatable, so you can announce it as a single route on the Internet.

17. I have independent resources. Should I have a maintainer on the objects registered in the RIPE Database?

As outlined in the End User Assignment Agreement, both you and your sponsoring LIR are responsible for keeping the information in the RIPE Database up-to-date. You should decide together with the sponsoring LIR who will update the database objects. Please note that it is possible to have multiple maintainers on a single database object.