[lir-wg] IXP networks routing

On Wed, Feb 26, 2003 at 02:10:41PM +0100, Kurt Kayser wrote:
| Hi,
| 
| as an IXP-Operator I would like to comment this in three ways:
Hoi Kurt,

| 1. Requesting an Address-space be it v4 or v6 for an IXP-Infrastructure
| and not making it globally reachable somehow misses the point. It should
| be clearly reachable - ideally through *all* connected peers of the 
| infrastructure.
| (they certainly can decide on the security for these destinations)
You probably are using this /48 out of 2001:7f8::/32 with the wrong reasons.
It should be used for peering meshes and not for services at your IXP, and
therefor it should not have to be routable or globally visible.

If you want PI space for your IXP to run services in, you can join the
long list of people that would like to have PI space in IPv6, which is
simply not possible at this point in time.

| 2. Address-space differs from IXP to ISP substiantially. ISPs hand out 
| IP-addresses
| to customers and IXPs assign single (or *very* few) addresses to ISPs. That 
| means
| that address consumption and renewals are very rare. Even the default 
| allocations
| from the IRRs for IXPs is - to my opinion - far too large.
The standard allocation size as per common practice at this point is either
/64 or /48. More types of sizes are being debated all the time, but to this
day, no other sizes have been established. A /64 might be too small for
IXPs with more than one peering mesh, so the next step up is /48.

| 3. Same with the members fee. Ok, I am speaking for a small IXP, but a RIPE 
| membership
| cannot be afforded right now. There is in contradiction the need for 1 
| single AS-number
| and one small prefix the cost which is normally calculated for the 
| untrained new LIR
| ISP, who needs training, hostmaster-help, etc. Why not add a special 
| categoy for IXP
| demands. There is a small number of them (50 in Europe?) and basicall NO 
| effort after
| giving them their numbers for work.
You cannot identify your IXP as a special pig in the race of pigs. Therefor,
no exception should be made for you, or RIRs, or any other enterprise. What
would happen if every enterprise started an IXP and claimed a right to their
own PI space ? It would become a mess!

To put it frank: go to an upstream and request a block of 'PA' from their
space to run your services in, and let them aggregate your traffic. If you
want independability, go to multiple upstreams.  

groet,
Pim

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