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How to get involved at the RIPE NCC

As a member of the RIPE NCC, you can benefit from a wide range of membership services, join mailing list discussions, vote at RIPE NCC General Meetings, and attend various events and meetings hosted by the RIPE NCC.

Join a Discussion

A good first step is to subscribe to RIPE NCC mailing lists and start following the discussions. You can also look through the archives to see what has been discussed in the past. The main lists are NCC Announce, Membership Discussion and the RIPE NCC Services Working Group list.

NCC Announce Mailing List

The RIPE NCC Announce mailing list (ncc-announce@ripe.net) is the primary source of information from the RIPE NCC and is publicly archived. We use this list to keep the membership up-to-date on our latest news and other developments in the Internet industry. We'll also announce details on new or revised documentation, information about upcoming meetings and events, and information about our services and activities.

All members should have an email address subscribed to NCC Announce for important service updates. You can sign up on the website and you should choose an address that does not automatically respond to emails.

NCC Announce tags

We understand that RIPE NCC members may only be interested in specific topics, so we always include subject header tags in emails sent to the NCC Announce list. You can set up your mailbox filters to redirect emails from this mailing list.

The tags are:

service Security and service announcements affecting RIPE NCC services including scheduled maintenance

training Announcements about RIPE NCC training courses, course material, training videos, etc.

meetings Announcements about RIPE Meetings and RIPE NCC Regional Meetings (registration, programme, reminders, updates, etc)

GM Information concerning the RIPE NCC General Meeting

news Announcements about the RIPE NCC and our services, including implemented policies affecting our services and RIPE NCC publications/documents (Member Update, Annual Report, etc.)

RIPE NCC Membership Discussion List

The Membership Discussion List (members-discuss@ripe.net) is a list for members to discuss membership-related issues that affect them. Only members can subscribe in the LIR Portal and post to this list, and it is publicly archived.

RIPE NCC Services Working Group Mailing List

The RIPE NCC Services Working Group List (ncc-services-wg@ripe.net) is an open mailing list for members and non-members to discuss our services and activities. Anyone can subscribe and post to this list.

RIPE Labs

RIPE Labs is an online publication that both RIPE NCC staff and others in the technical community use to publish ideas and showcase new tools and prototypes. Experts can also share analyses and discuss topics relevant to the state of the Internet.

RIPE Labs also has a section dedicated to local Network Operating Groups (NOGs). These are groups focused on a city or country where you can discuss topics of interest to you and your local region in your own language. We encourage you to find your local NOG and get involved!

Anyone can publish an article on RIPE Labs. There is a guide with more information and you can email labs@ripe.net to contact the RIPE Labs Editor who can help you craft your idea into an article for the community.

Meetings and Events

RIPE Meetings

A RIPE Meeting takes place over multiple days and brings together Internet service providers, network operators and other interested parties from around the world to discuss technical issues, develop policy and collaborate over areas of common interest.

Each RIPE Meeting follows a similar format and consists of Working Group sessions, Plenaries and Birds of a Feather (BoFs). If you’ve never attended a RIPE Meeting before, we have events especially for newcomers and a mentorship programme that pairs newcomers with an experienced RIPE community member.

New members are entitled to two free tickets to a RIPE Meeting. This is a great opportunity to meet with the technical community, so members should take advantage of this offer.

RIPE NCC General Meeting (GM)

The RIPE NCC holds a General Meeting (GM) twice a year, usually in spring and in autumn. The GM is the forum where members can discuss the operations and activities of the RIPE NCC and share their feedback. If you are a RIPE NCC member, you have the right to attend the GM, vote on resolutions and vote to elect members of the Executive Board. Executive Board elections are typically held during the spring GM, and the Charging Scheme for members is also presented during this meeting. The RIPE NCC shares its Activity Plan and Budget with members during the autumn GM.

Voting

  • One person from each member organisation is entitled to vote at a GM
  • To vote at a GM, an organisation must have been a RIPE NCC member for longer than six months
  • Each member is allocated one vote even when a member holds more than one LIR account
  • A person can represent more than one member and will therefore be given a vote for each of those members
  • A person can cast a vote on behalf of another member as a proxy

Registration opens around eight weeks before a GM and closes on the day of the meeting. The final agenda is published around two weeks before the GM. The Chair of the RIPE NCC Executive Board will open voting during the GM and will announce the results after voting has closed. The minutes of the GM are published within three days of the results of the GM being announced. Members are also able to object to the minutes for up to three weeks after they are published.

Weeks before the GM

Activity

  • 8 weeks Open registration for GM
  • 4 weeks Supporting Documents published
  • 2 weeks Final agenda published
  • 2 weeks Deadline for members to propose resolutions
  • 2 weeks Deadline for proxy vote nominations
  • Registration for voting closes on the day of the GM

You can find out more information such as where to register, how to vote and how to participate on the General Meeting web pages, which are in English.

As the RIPE NCC is a membership organisation, we rely on our members to take part in this meeting to ensure that the RIPE NCC is carrying out its activities for the benefit of all members.

Regional Meetings

Our regional meetings bring together RIPE NCC members, local governments and key players in the global Internet industry. These events are free of charge and open to everyone. They are an excellent way to build your network and get to know other people working in your field. You do not need to be a RIPE NCC member to attend.

At these meetings, attendees share insights into technical, administrative and policy issues that impact members and industry organisations in a particular geographical region. They are also an opportunity for us to gain valuable feedback about our services and activities. Several RIPE NCC staff members attend Regional Meetings. You can discuss topics such as technical issues, networking issues, measurement tools and training with specialised staff and discuss your membership details and resource allocations. Attendees are responsible for their own travel and accommodation costs. To attend, you must register in advance.

The meetings usually include:

  • Presentations on local/regional Internet industry issues
  • Discussions on technical solutions to problems faced by engineers
  • Presentations about issues affecting the Internet at a global level
  • An introduction to RIPE, the RIPE Policy Development Process, the RIPE community and RIPE Working Groups
  • An introduction to the RIPE NCC and an overview of its current activities and services

The different regional meetings are:

MENOG

The Middle East Network Operators Group Meeting and Peering Forum (MENOG) offers a platform for network operators in the Middle East region.

SEE

The South East Europe/ RIPE NCC Regional Meetings bring together key stakeholders in South East Europe.

Find out when the next Regional Meeting is and sign up.

RIPE NCC Days

RIPE NCC Days are local meetings that provide a forum for key stakeholders in different regions.

Open Houses

An Open House session gives you the chance to connect with experts from the RIPE NCC and our wider network for a focused discussion on a topic of interest. They are virtual and are usually an hour and a half long.