RIPE NCC to AfriNIC Transition

Introduction

In preparation for final recognition by ICANN, AfriNIC will be operating as a fully functional RIR for the African region from 21 February 2005. This means that LIRs that are currently members of the RIPE NCC and are based in Africa will be conducting their registration business with AfriNIC.

LIRs in the AfriNIC service region will have to request IP address space, AS Numbers and reverse delegation from AfriNIC and enter objects in the AfriNIC Whois Database.

In the process of becoming a fully operational and recognised RIR, AfriNIC will go through a number of transitions. We will try to minimise the operational impact on LIRs by completing all transitions on 21 February 2005.

Resource Requests

• Resource requests are currently submitted through the RIPE NCC LIR Portal or through the hostmaster@ripe.net e-mail interface.
• From 21 February 2005 requests must be sent to hostmaster@afrinic.net.
• From 21 February 2005, the RIPE NCC LIR Portal will not be available to African LIRs.

All policy documents can be found on AfriNICs website at: http://www.afrinic.net/documents.htm
A link to the AfriNIC request forms will be made available shortly.

Whois Database

From 21 February 2005, resources allocated to members in the African region will need to be registered in the AfriNIC Whois Database.

Whois Data Transfer

Members in the African region are advised to not update existing whois records during the transition period (from 14:00 on 21 February 2005)

• All inetnum, inet6num and domain objects that relate to PA allocations and assignments made in the AfriNIC service region will be moved from the RIPE NCC to the AfriNIC Whois Database.

• Aut-num objects in the range 30980 - 30999 and 34515 - 34519 will be copied to the AfriNIC Database. Note that these objects will also remain in the RIPE Database so that they can be used in the Routing Registry.

• The AfriNIC Database does not include a Routing Registry. To avoid possible confusion, existing routing policy information will be moved into the "remark:" attributes in objects in the AfriNIC Database. Aut-num objects in the RIPE Database will remain the same.

• Whenever an inetnum, inet6num, aut-num or domain object is copied or moved, the related mntner, person and organisation objects will also be copied/moved. Notifications of this will be sent to the contacts (admin-c, tech-c, zone-c, e-mail) of these objects.

• If after the transfer these mntner, person and/or organisation objects do not refer to objects that remain in the RIPE Whois Database they will be deleted. A separate notification will be sent to maintainers when objects are deleted.

• When an inetnum or inet6num object is moved, an appropriate object will be inserted into the RIPE Whois Database. Anyone querying for these moved objects will be referred to the AfriNIC Database.

• Domain objects that are copied will be removed after final recognition. Updates to domain objects that relate to African networks cannot be performed during the transition period.

Updates to DNS

During the transfer domain objects will be copied/moved to the AfriNIC Database. Reverse zones relating to these objects will be frozen. As a consequence changes in the "nserver:" attributes in domain objects will not be reflected in the reverse DNS. Zones will be frozen on February 21 at 11:00 UTC. While non-African LIRs can continue updating their domain objects it may take up to 24 hours before modifications are visible in the DNS.

AS Numbers and PI Assignments

All aut-num objects not in the 30980 - 30999 and 34515 - 34519 blocks and PI assignments, and their related domain objects, will remain registered in the RIPE Database.

Routing Registry

The Routing Registry will be operated by the RIPE NCC. If you want to have routing information in the RIPE Database and your AS Number is in the 30980 - 30999 or 34515 - 34519 range, you will have to maintain the aut-num object in both databases.

Data Privacy Issues

AfriNIC will operate the AfriNIC Database for the same purpose and under the same operational model as the RIPE NCC. To formalise this AfriNIC has, in addition to a Non-Disclosure Agreement, entered an agreement with the RIPE NCC that all data transferred to AfriNIC will be "collected, processed, and transferred in accordance with the laws applicable [to the RIPE NCC]".

AfriNIC does not allow bulk transfer of Whois Database content and will not make bulk contact data available to third parties.

Legal issues

• Until ICANN's final recognition of AfriNIC, LIRs in the African service region are still legally members of the RIPE NCC. All assignments and registrations will be done under the terms of the RIPE NCC Standard Service Agreement

• After ICANN's final recognition of AfriNIC, all services will be transferred from the RIPE NCC to AfriNIC and LIRs will need to sign a contract with AfriNIC to receive services

• As of January 2005, LIRs based in the AfriNIC service region should have received an AfriNIC contract by courier.
  Please contact ncc@ripe.net if the contract has not reached you

• LIRs that have paid their membership fee to the RIPE NCC for 2005 will not have to pay AfriNIC for the year 2005.

If you have any questions regarding the transition to AfriNIC and you represent an LIR, please contact us at: ncc@ripe.net

If you do not represent an LIR, please contact ncc@ripe.net.