[ncc-services-wg] Request for Feedback: Phasing Out Text-Based Email Request Forms

Dear colleagues,

We are currently working to streamline the process around resource
requests, which is something that was asked for in the RIPE NCC Survey
2013.  As you will be aware, we offer request forms in the LIR Portal
in addition to the text-based email forms that are published in the
RIPE document store:

http://www.ripe.net/ripe/docs/current-ripe-documents/request-forms-supporting-notes 


Maintaining two different systems for requests is inefficient, as it
requires duplicate work every time there is a policy change. More
importantly, the text-based email forms use legacy systems that take
engineering time from our staff to maintain.

We contacted many LIRs who made requests using the text-based email
forms and in most cases they were using them out of habit or due to
specific workflows they had. Most said they would not mind to change
to the LIR Portal request forms, or adjust their workflows to use an
API.

Today, most requests come via the LIR Portal rather than by email.
Since November 2013:

- 95% of IPv6 allocations were issued after an LIR Portal form was
   sent (909 out of 960)
- 91% of IPv4 allocations were requested via the LIR Portal (1,051 out
   of 1,154)
- 75% of ASNs were requested via the LIR Portal (727 out of 975)
- From the 25% of ASNs requested via email, 50% of these requests
   needed several iterations to pass the syntax checks

Based on this feedback and the fact that a clear majority of members
are requesting resources through the LIR Portal, we would like to
propose the following:

- The text-based email forms would be archived on 1 November 2014.
- We would continue to accept email requests until the end of December
   2014 to ensure that regular workflows are not disrupted.
- The RIPE NCC would offer an API for those members with specific
   workflows that prevent them from using the request forms in the LIR
   Portal.
- Text-based request forms that may be used by non-members (e.g. ENUM
   requests) would remain on the website.
- To maintain transparency regarding the information needed to obtain
   resources, the RIPE NCC would publish these procedures on
www.ripe.net.

We are interested in your feedback on this proposal:

- Do you agree with the general idea of phasing out text-based request
   forms?
- What specific requirements would need to be addressed by the API?
- Would December 2014 be a suitable deadline to give you time to
   adjust your systems and workflows?

Please share your feedback on the RIPE NCC Services WG mailing list by
emailing <ncc-services-wg at ripe.net> before 1 October 2014. If you
would like to send us your technical requirements and/or concerns
confidentially, please email us at <requestforms at ripe.net>

We will provide an update with a summary of the feedback received,
along with any next steps if the proposal is to go ahead.

Looking forward to your input,
Best regards,

Ingrid Wijte
Assistant Manager Registration Services
RIPE NCC