URGENT: Bug fixes in the RIPE database distribution

[Daniel Karrenberg <]

  > Tony Bates <Tony.Bates@localhost writes:
  > This is correct behaviour. 
  > The reason it looks odd is becuase of the fact that the RADB has their
  > whoisd conf set to look in multiple sources by default. 
  > It does this lookup on a per source basis. 

To re-phrase what Tony and Marten have said:

Queries received without a prefix length explicitly specified 
are treated as /32 queries, i.e. the default prefix length is /32.

In general (and in this case) if there is no exact match for the queried
address the search algorithm finds the entries with the first
(longest) less specific address. 

This is backward compatible for classful entires. 

This search algorithm is repeated *per source*. 
The consequence is that depending on the source the first less specific
can have a different prefix length. Unfortunately we can not think
of a more sensible behavior.

  > foo-selina:/u/selina: ra 192.5.4
  > route:       192.5.4.0/23
  > descr:       Vixie Enterprises
  > descr:       116 Stanley Street
  > descr:       Redwood City
  > descr:       CA 94062, USA
  > origin:      AS3557
  > comm-list:   COMM_NSFNET
  > advisory:    AS690 1:3561(11) 2:3561(218) 4:200(144) 5:701(147)
  > mnt-by:      MAINT-AS3557
  > changed:     nsfnet-admin@localhost 950118
  > source:      RADB
  > 
  > route:       192.5.4.0/23
  > descr:       NET-VIX2
  > origin:      AS3557
  > advisory:    AS690   1:3561(11) 2:3561(144) 3:3561(27) 4:3561(147) 5:3561(218)  5:701(147)  6:7
  > 01(134)
  > mnt-by:      BARRNET
  > changed:     vaf@localhost 950111
  > source:      MCI

Search for 192.5.4.0/32 in RADB found 192.5.4.0/23.
Search for 192.5.4.0/32 in MCI found 192.5.4.0/23.

  > foo-selina:/u/selina: ra 192.5.5
  > route:       192.5.5.0/24
  > descr:       Vixie Enterprises
  > descr:       116 Stanley Street
  > descr:       Redwood City
  > descr:       CA 94062, USA
  > origin:      AS3557
  > comm-list:   COMM_NSFNET
  > advisory:    AS690 2:200(144) 3:701(147)
  > mnt-by:      MAINT-AS3557
  > changed:     nsfnet-admin@localhost 940729
  > source:      RADB
  > 
  > route:       192.5.4.0/23
  > descr:       NET-VIX2
  > origin:      AS3557
  > advisory:    AS690   1:3561(11) 2:3561(144) 3:3561(27) 4:3561(147) 5:3561(218)  5:701(147)  6:7
  > 01(134)
  > mnt-by:      BARRNET
  > changed:     vaf@localhost 950111
  > source:      MCI

Search for 192.5.5.0/32 in RADB found 192.5.5.0/24.
Search for 192.5.5.0/32 in MCI found 192.5.4.0/23.

This raises the valid question whether 192.5.5.0/24 is indeed still
supposed to be announced.

  >   > bugsy-sfp:/u/sfp: whois -h whois.ra.net 194.128
  >   > route:       194.128.0.0/15
  >   > descr:       PIPEX-BLOCK3
  >   > origin:      AS1849
  >   > advisory:    AS690 1:1849 2:701(147) 3:701(134) 4:1800
  >   > remarks:     Holes to come!
  >   > mnt-by:      AS1849-MNT
  >   > changed:     tim@localhost 950428
  >   > source:      RIPE
  >   >
  >   > bugsy-sfp:/u/sfp: whois -h whois.ra.net 194.128/15
  >   > route:       194.128.0.0/15
  >   > descr:       PIPEX Ltd
  >   > descr:       216 Cambridge Science Park
  >   > descr:       Milton Road
  >   > descr:       Cambridge
  >   > descr:       England
  >   > descr:       CB4 4WA
  >   > descr:       UNITED KINGDOM
  >   > origin:      AS1849
  >   > comm-list:   COMM_NSFNET
  >   > advisory:    AS690 1:1849 2:701(147) 4:1800
  >   > mnt-by:      MAINT-AS1849
  >   > changed:     support@localhost 950511
  >   > source:      RADB
  >   >
  >   > route:       194.128.0.0/15
  >   > descr:       PIPEX-BLOCK3
  >   > origin:      AS1849
  >   > advisory:    AS690 1:1849 2:701(147) 3:701(134) 4:1800
  >   > remarks:     Holes to come!
  >   > mnt-by:      AS1849-MNT
  >   > changed:     tim@localhost 950428
  >   > source:      RIPE

Sorry, I cannot reproduce that one at all. 
Everytime I do it the answer is the second one, as it should be.

Daniel