RIPE NCC Issues

> My primary concern is the current turnover of hostmasters that deal with
all
> of our requests.  A high turnover of staff is almost always a result of
poor
> management, and unless this is addressed, all other issues become
secondary.

I appreciate your concerns, but you may be going out on a limb with
assumptions and implications like the above.  Recruitment of hostmasters
is a long-standing feature of RIPE NCC, as they try to cope with the
rising demand for service from existing and new LIRs.  We members who
adopt the annual plan of RIPE NCC invariably get it wrong, underpredict
growth rate and leave management with the task of trying to catch up and
fill the gaps.

Right now, there is a slow-down in the service, due largely to a sudden and
large upsurge
in the number of requests; this has happened in a time frame much shorter
than that
associated with hostmaster recruitment, so there has been a shortfall in
resources to deal with the demand.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that RIPE NCC couldn't do better, or that
this is UUnet's fault as a member.  Indeed, UUnet has always been more than
exemplary in its role as an active member of RIPE NCC, to the benefit of the
rest of us; your concern in this instance is witness to that.  But it's not
right to say that RIPE NCC management does not give top priority to its core
business as the regional IP registry, nor is it fair to imply that such
management
is poor.

Regards.

Mike Norris