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Assisted Registry Check

What is the Assisted Registry Check?

The Assisted Registry Check (ARC) is an initiative by the RIPE NCC designed to enhance the traditional auditing process that all LIRs are required to take part in, making it faster, easier and more beneficial to the LIR.

During an ARC review, the RIPE NCC will check the quality of the registry data and offer to assist where improvements are needed, thereby helping LIRs to improve the accuracy and reliability of their registry. The goal is to maintain up-to-date and accurate data in the RIPE Registry without imposing additional work on the LIR.

Benefits of the ARC Review

  • Data Accuracy: Helps members ensure that their registry data remains current and accurate.
  • Resolving Inconsistencies: Identifies and resolves inconsistencies between routing registry entries and BGP announcements.
  • Reverse DNS Delegation Assistance: Locates and fixes issues related to lame rDNS delegations.
  • Efficiency: Provides a more streamlined, less time-consuming audit experience for LIRs.

Personalised Support

As part of the ARC review, LIRs receive tailored support for creating and updating RIPE Database objects, guidance on RIPE policy compliance, and recommendations for improving their services.

The ARC review generally covers three broad areas:

  • Registry Data Accuracy: Ensuring all registry data is accurate and consistent.
  • Routing and BGP Announcements: Identifying mismatches between the routing registry and actual BGP announcements.
  • Reverse DNS Delegations: Detecting and resolving issues related to reverse DNS configurations.

The ARC process helps maintain the integrity of the RIPE Database while fostering regular communication between the RIPE NCC and its members.

Registry Consistency

The legal name, postal address and telephone number of your organisation must be accurately reflected in the LIR account, and is publicly available on the RIPE NCC website. You can verify and edit the details of your registry on your account details page, which also contains non-public information, such as the organisation’s legal address.

Resource Consistency

Role Object Creation

When registering Internet number resources in the RIPE Database, it is essential to include contact details for the network. The role object includes contact details for the team within an organisation that function as the first point of contact. Role objects can be designated as the administrative (admin-c) or technical (tech-c) contact for resources registered in the RIPE Database. Additionally, they are the only object type that can be used for the abuse (abuse-c) contact.

Documenting Usage

To comply with the IPv4 and IPv6 policy, LIRs must make sure all networks are properly registered in the RIPE Database, according to the various registration requirements for IP addresses that are considered to be in use.

We can guide you through the process of updating the resources your LIR is sponsoring. The sponsored resources are issued directly from the RIPE NCC to the End User and remain with them as long as the original criteria for approval are met. If the End User no longer requires these resources, they must be returned to the RIPE NCC.

The sponsored resources fall into three categories:

  • IPv4 Provider Independent (PI) assignments
  • IPv6 Provider Independent (PI) assignments
  • Autonomous System (AS) Numbers

Routing & Reverse DNS consistency

Routing Consistency

We can assist you in identifying any inconsistencies between your Routing Registry entries and your BGP announcements.

The RIPE Routing Registry is a subset of the RIPE Database that contains critical information about Internet routing. It is part of the broader Internet Routing Registry (IRR), a global network of databases that mirror each other.

By announcing routing policies in the Routing Registry, network operators can make more informed decisions about their routing strategies and configure their routers and filters accordingly. You can review your Routing Registry information using the AS Consistency widget available in RIPEstat.

Resource Public Key Infrastructure (RPKI)

Using RPKI is important to help prevent the occurrence of routing attacks, such as BGP hijacks and route leaks, which can cause significant disruptions to Internet traffic and compromise the security and privacy of users. It empowers LIRs to secure a digital certificate for their Internet number resources, providing proof of ownership.

Reverse DNS Consistency

We can help you identify any lame reverse DNS delegations and provide tools to troubleshoot and resolve these issues.

The Domain Name System (DNS) is a globally distributed service that handles name-to-number (forward) and number-to-name (reverse) translations through defined client-server and server-server protocols.

The RIPE NCC is responsible for registering reverse delegations, not forward domains. It is crucial to maintain accurate reverse DNS data to avoid lame delegations, which occur when an authoritative name server does not have the necessary authoritative data.

You can check for lame delegations using the Reverse DNS Consistency widget, and the RIPE NCC also offers a DNS checker tool to help troubleshoot and resolve any lame delegation issues.

Network Reachability

We can test the reachability of your network over IPv4 and IPv6 using the RIPE Atlas measurement network.

RIPE Atlas is the world’s largest Internet measurement network, operated by the RIPE NCC. It consists of a global network of probes that monitor Internet connectivity and reachability, providing real-time insights into the state of the Internet.

With thousands of active probes across Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia, the RIPE Atlas network is continually expanding. The RIPE NCC aggregates data from these probes to create detailed maps and graphs.

As part of the ARC review, we offer the option to use RIPE Atlas to test the reachability of your network. Simply provide a target IP address (IPv4 and/or IPv6), and we will conduct a reachability test. If you find the results valuable and wish to get more involved, we can also assist you in sponsoring or hosting a RIPE Atlas probe.

RIPE Atlas users who host or sponsor probes can utilise the entire network for customised measurements, gaining valuable insights into their own networks. Additionally, RIPE NCC members have access to special RIPE Atlas features, even without hosting or sponsoring probes.

The RIPE NCC is committed to engaging with LIRs to ensure that the ARC process is constructive and adds value for both the LIR and the broader Internet Registry system. If you have any suggestions for improvements or are interested in participating in an ARC, please contact us at lir-help@ripe.net.