Daniele, Thank you for your proposal. We all agree that the aggregates should be stored somehow in the Ripe database and that the current structure does not allow such representations of blocks/aggregates. This is now becoming the main priority of the routing-wg and (probably) the Ripe NCC. A proposal will be sent out very soon now, and we'll then be able to discuss this in more details. I'm sure your input will be considered and appreciated. -- Jean-Michel

----- Text sent by Daniele Vannozzi follows -------

We would like to know your opinion about this problem and our proposal. The GARR-NIS manages a whois database (whois.nis.garr.it) where each network is described with the RIPE database format plus other "italian GARR-NIS" tags. We produce the access lists for the GARR border routers starting from GARR-NIS whois database (we use the nlc tool). In addition to that we are requested to produce the "aggregate" networks list (CIDR) from GARR-NIS database as well.

In our opinion it is difficult to get the right information about network blocks from the whois database as it is currently managed because many network blocks are splitted in smaller blocks (usually corresponding to the really announced networks or because of different contact point).

We would like to announce the whole original block while maintaining into the GARR-NIS database the splitted blocks. An additional gain using this scheme would be to store different rev-srv: server for each block for example).

We have thought the following solution: add a new tag inet-block: into the network object which describes the original block size. In this way it is possible to store in the same object entry both the information for route aggregates (inet-block:) and other data we need (like rev-srv:, contact people, etc).

This is a example:

inetnum: 193.204.160.0 - 193.204.161.0 netname: ROMA3-NET inet-block: 193.204.160.0 - 193.204.167.0 country: IT admin-c: Fabio Martinelli tech-c: Aldo Altamore connect: GARR aut-sys: AS137 bdrygw-l: INFN-MIL INFN-CNAF rev-srv: decsrv.caspur.it rev-srv: dns.nis.garr.it rev-srv: matrm3.mat.uniroma3.it ...... ......

inetnum: 193.204.162.0 - 193.204.167.0 netname: ROMA3-NET inet-block: 193.204.160.0 - 193.204.167.0 country: IT admin-c: Fabio Martinelli tech-c: Aldo Altamore connect: LOCAL ....... .......

Please let us know your opinion.

The GARR-NIS Staff

Daniele Vannozzi Phone: +39 50 593280 GARR-NIS Phone NIS: +39 50 593360 c/o CNUCE - Istituto del CNR Fax: +39 50 904052 Via Santa Maria 36 Telex: 500371 - CNUCE 56100 Pisa - Italy E-mail: vannozzi@nis.garr.it

-- Jean-Michel