IPv6 assignments to DNS root servers in the RIPE region

Dear all,

below find a proposal for a policy enabling the assignment of blocks of IPv6 addresses to Internet DNS root servers in the RIPE region.

I would like to use the opportunity to request from the chairman of the LIR WG to include this point for discussion in the WG meeting next week. Of course, discussion in the mailing list is welcome.

Best regards,
Joao Damas
RIPE NCC


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This proposal requests the adoption of a special IPv6 assignment policy
for Internet DNS root servers. It does not apply to any other
infrastructure.

Specifically, this is not a request for a generic "special
infrastructure" IPv6 assignment policy.

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IPv6 address assignments to Internet DNS root servers in the RIPE
region


Internet DNS root servers are particularly critical elements of the
Internet's infrastructure. They need to be operated in a neutral and
professional manner which will not impose any artificial or unnecessary
barriers for access to their designated services.

DNS resolvers and resolving name servers need to be pre-configured with
the network addresses of the root name servers. This makes these
addresses special and not easy to change. Hence this special policy.

Under this policy, each (current or future) Internet DNS root server
(as listed in the root-servers.net zone) in the RIPE region will be
assigned a block of IPv6 address space for purposes of root server
operations. The size of the block shall be the same as the size of the
minimum allocation to LIRs valid at the time of the root server
assignment.

The assigned prefix is only for root server operations and support
functions related directly to the operations, such as monitoring,
statistics, etc., and is bound to the root server service itself.

It is not associated with the organization/s that operate the root
server at a particular point in time and these organizations should not
use the address space to provide any services not related to the root
server.

Should the operational responsibility for a DNS root server move to a
new organization, the IPv6 address space associated with the server
will also move to the new organization. The old and the new
organizations must update the registration information with the RIPE
NCC. If the new location of the root name server is outside the RIPE
region, the address space must be returned to the RIPE NCC and a new
assignment must be requested from the appropriate RIR.

If a root server stops operating within the RIPE region, the address
space will be returned to the RIPE NCC and marked as "reserved" for a
suitably long period of time.

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