We do want to emphasise that the goal of the suggested project is
not to reclaim AS Numbers that are in use, but to clean up
out-of-date registrations. At the moment, there is not really an
incentive to return unused AS Numbers, because the registration of
ASNs is free of charge. We see quite often that (sponsoring) LIRs
forget AS Numbers if they are requesting changes.
Our current proposal is a one-time project and we will archive the
responses so that we only send one email. Some people suggested
that we should perform these checks on a regular basis and this is
possible if the community wants us to do so. During Assisted
Registry Checks (ARCs), or if an ASN is changing sponsor, we
already ask to some extent if the resources are still needed.
The reason for contacting the sponsor and not the admin-c or
tech-c is that the sponsoring LIR has the responsibility to liaise
with the End User (and can do this in the language of the resource
holder). From experience, we know that a lot of End Users are not
aware that AS Numbers are distributed by the RIPE NCC, they are
only aware of the contractual relationship that they have with
their sponsor. During the deregistration process, we try to the
contact the resource holder directly in different ways. This
usually starts by contacting the admin-c and tech-c.
Please let us know if there are any further questions before
Thursday 6 April 2017.
According to ripe-679, "Autonomous System (AS) Number Assignment
Policies" if an organisation no longer uses as AS Number, it
should be
returned to the free pool so it can be reassigned: https://www.ripe.net/publications/docs/ripe-679
There are currently around 6,600 ASNs in our service region
(held or
sponsored by 2,682 LIRs) that are not being advertised in the
routing
system. This represents around 22% of the ~30,000 ASNs assigned
by the
RIPE NCC.
There are a number of legitimate reasons why an ASN might not be
advertised in the routing system. However, it is also possible
that
the holder doesn't exist anymore or the ASN is no longer needed.
Not
only should unused ASNs be returned, but it's important to clean
up
out of date registrations, which affect the quality of data in
the
RIPE Registry.
Our Proposal
We plan to email the LIR or sponsoring LIR for each unannounced
ASN
and ask if the resource is still needed. We will group together
ASNs
that are sponsored or held by the same LIR to minimise the
number of
emails.
We will ask if the ASN is currently being used or if there are
plans
to start using the ASN in the coming three months. Organisations
can
always request a new ASN in the future if they need one.
If we do not receive a reply or if the ASN will not be used
within
three months, we will start the process of returning the ASN to
the
free pool. The deregistration process will take three months,
during
which time the LIR can still indicate that the ASN is needed. If
the
ASN is still needed, the validity of the assignment (such as the
multihoming requirement) will not be re-evaluated.
We do not expect any significant cost or impact on other
services, as
most of this process will be automated and we will not need to
re-evaluate the assignments. Contacting all relevant LIRs will
take
less than six months.
Please review this proposal and send any comments or other
feedback
before Thursday 6 April to <address-policy-wg@ripe.net>.