Announcements

RIPE NCC Launches New 'IPv6 in the RIPE Database' Webinar

Suzanne Taylor Muzzin — 2013-05-24T10:42:02Z

The IPv6 in the RIPE Database webinar is available to RIPE NCC members and covers how to obtain an IPv6 allocation and how to register IPv6-related data in the RIPE Database. The goals of the webinar include:

Understanding how IPv6 addresses are distributed
Understanding IPv6 allocation and assignment policies

Registering IPv6-related data in the RIPE Database (assignments, reverse DNS and route6 objects)

The first IPv6 in the RIPE Database webinar is available 29 May. The complete schedule and registration, along with information about suggested prerequisites, is available online. Each webinar is limited to 20 participants.

RIPE NCC Webinars are one-hour, live, interactive presentations that allow RIPE NCC members to see demonstrations and have their individual questions answered by RIPE NCC trainers. The webinars are offered as part of the RIPE NCC’s E-Learning Centre.

For questions about RIPE NCC Webinars, please contact e-learning [at] ripe [dot] net.

The RIPE NCC Survey 2013 is Now Online

Marita Phelan — 2013-05-21T09:15:00Z

The RIPE NCC asks all members and any other interested parties to take this very important survey for the RIPE NCC and the RIPE community.

These large-scale surveys allow the RIPE NCC to assess its services and activities, identify areas for improvement, and help shape its strategy for the coming years.

The survey is carried out by the Oxford Internet Institute (OII), which guarantees anonymity for participants and independent assessment of results. It will remain open until 17 June 2013. The results will be presented at the RIPE 67 Meeting in Athens, 14 – 18 October 2013.

There are no limits on who can take the survey. RIPE NCC members as well as other interested parties globally are asked to participate. If many people in the same organisation would like to take the survey, they are welcome to do so.

The survey conducted in 2011 by the OII provided 52 key findings that the RIPE NCC was able to act on.

This is your chance to let the RIPE NCC know exactly what you think and give your suggestions for how the organisation should operate. We hope you will take advantage of this opportunity.

To encourage participation, the RIPE NCC is offering participants the chance to win an iPad mini if they complete the survey. A number of prizes will be offered throughout the duration of the survey. Completing the survey early will give participants more chances to win.

If you have any questions about the survey, please email survey2013 [at] ripe [dot] net.

TERENA Secretary General Receives Royal Recognition for Contribution to the Internet

Antony Gollan — 2013-05-14T15:10:00Z

In a private ceremony in Leiden yesterday, Karel was recognised for his outstanding contribution to research and education networking, and to the Internet in general. Karel was part of the Dutch Ministry of Education and Sciences from 1984, and headed the Department of Information and Infrastructure from 1992-1996. As the secretary general of TERENA since 1996, Karel has continued to show a strong commitment to the organisation despite an illness that caused him to be on leave since 2012.

Another early achievement was Karel's contribution to the RIPE NCC, with his recognition that it should break away from TERENA and become an independent organisation. Daniel Karrenberg, RIPE NCC Chief Scientist and one of the founders of RIPE, said, "Karel contributed to it becoming a globally respected institution in the self-managed Internet. I am of the opinion that Karel's contribution to the self-management of the Internet was crucial in its formative period. Without Karel the Internet in Europe would perhaps have been less successful."

Speaking on behalf of TERENA staff, Acting Secretary General Valentino Cavalli said, "We owe a lot of what we are now to Karel and we are thrilled that his important contribution to research and education networking has been recognised with this royal honour. We congratulate Karel wholeheartedly on this achievement."

TERENA has created a page where people can post messages of congratulations that will be passed on to Karel.

A Reminder About Incorrect Use of the RIPE Database

Antony Gollan — 2013-04-03T12:35:00Z

Over the past few months there have been a number of reported incidents where misuse of the RIPE Database may have occurred. Most recently, we have received complaints that companies have been using contact information in the RIPE Database to market their services to members of the RIPE community.

The RIPE NCC would like to reiterate both to our community and other commercial organisations that we take misuse of the database very seriously. Article 4.4 of the RIPE Database Terms and Conditions states that "Users may not use the RIPE Database or the data contained therein for advertising, direct marketing, marketing research or similar purposes." Similarly, we will never give the contact details of our community members to any third parties without first receiving permission to do so.

The current process is for the RIPE NCC to contact these organisations directly and make them aware that they may be in violation of the terms and conditions. If the abuse continues, the RIPE NCC may pursue further legal action.

We would like to again thank our community members who are raising these issues when they occur. Please continue to contact us if you believe the RIPE Database is being used improperly.

Axel Pawlik Represents RIPE NCC at Royal Briefing on Dutch Role in Digital Economy

Adam Castle — 2013-03-20T17:30:00Z

Today, RIPE NCC Managing Director, Axel Pawlik, was proud to be part of the group that met with His Royal Highness Prince Willem-Alexander of Orange to discuss the importance of Amsterdam as an Internet hub.

AMS-IX hosted the working lunch and tour of the Equinix data centre for the Prince. The event was organised to inform His Highness about the economic and social role AMS-IX plays both regionally and internationally.

The event took place at the AM3 Science Park data centre in Amsterdam, one of 12 data centres where the AMS-IX is active. AMS-IX is the largest Internet exchange in the world, and has been instrumental in fuelling Internet growth in the Netherlands. The lunch meeting ended with a debate on further development of the Dutch Internet infrastructure and possible future scenarios for the digital economy.

Since 2004, Prince Willem-Alexander has been a member of the Advisory Board for the ECP Foundation, which is a non-profit association concerned with the development of the digital economy and information society in the Netherlands. Prince Willem-Alexander will be crowned King of the Netherlands in one month.

More information can be found on the AMS-IX website (in Dutch).

9,000 RIPE NCC Members

Adam Castle — 2013-03-20T09:53:54Z

The RIPE NCC’s membership has grown steadily as the Internet itself has grown. It was in 1998 that we first passed the 1,000th member mark, and it has taken almost exactly one year to go from 8,000 to 9,000 members. What is particularly noteworthy is that the membership has continued to grow at a steady pace even after the RIPE NCC reached the last /8 of IPv4 address space on 14 September 2012.

There is a dynamically updated graph with current membership statistics that can be found on RIPE Labs.

The RIPE NCC’s members come from across Europe, the Middle East and parts of Central Asia.

RIPE NCC Response to Government Interest in an Arab RIR

Mihnea-Costin Grigore — 2013-02-25T10:30:00Z

Over the past weeks and following on from talks at last year's ITU WTSA and WCIT events, both AFRINIC and the RIPE NCC have been asked to participate in discussions concerning the possibility of establishing a new Regional Internet Registry (RIR) for the Arabic-speaking community.

In the spirit of open community discussion, both AFRINIC and the RIPE NCC feel that this should be brought to the attention of our members and community.

It is imperative to note that these discussions have not in any way been instigated by the management or staff of either AFRINIC or the RIPE NCC. The matter has been raised and promoted by representatives of certain governments in the Arab community.

The RIPE NCC is proud to serve the needs of our members in Arabic-speaking states, and we believe that the existing system can meet the needs of a growing membership in the Arab region.

As you are all aware, an RIR provides a range of services, including managing its service region’s Internet number resources (IPv4, IPv6 and ASNs), maintaining proper records of all registry activities in a publicly accessible database (the RIPE Database), as well as capacity building and training on use of these resources. RIRs also provide general support for regional Internet Infrastructure, and facilitate community discussion and engagement.

The RIPE NCC has been particularly excited to contribute to the development of forums such as the Middle East Network Operators Group (MENOG), the Middle East Peering Forum and the Arab Internet Governance Forum, and initiatives like the MENOG IPv6 Roadshow. Through these activities, we have supported the growth of the local industry and the development of an active professional community within the region, including a RIPE NCC representative office in Dubai.

RIRs are community-governed organisations. If the RIPE NCC membership and Internet community in the Arab region feels that there is a need to establish a new RIR, the RIPE NCC and AFRINIC will be happy to support this development appropriately. There are steps, via the open, bottom-up policy development process, to facilitate this. ICP-2, "Criteria for Establishment of New Regional Internet Registries", is a global policy, approved through consensus by the communities of all the existing RIRs, which sets out this process:
http://www.icann.org/en/news/in-focus/global-addressing/new-rirs-criteria

This, like all RIR policies, was a result of "bottom-up" policy development, based on the premise that those who use Internet number resources and have a stake in the Internet, including actors from civil society, business, the technical community, government and law enforcement agencies (LEAs), should take the lead in developing policies relating to the management of those resources.

"Top-down" policies developed without the participation of those who operate the Internet carry the risk of significant unintended consequences for the Internet and Internet users.

It is vital that the Internet technical community have a voice in deciding such an important issue. We encourage community members to raise any questions or issues on the RIPE Discussion list [ripe-list _at_ ripe _dot_ net], or to email the RIPE NCC directly. We are also happy to work with anyone who wishes to raise this issue in upcoming community forums such as MENOG 12 (5-14 March in Dubai) or RIPE 66 (13-17 May in Dublin, Ireland).

Registration Open for RIPE NCC General Meeting May 2013

Adam Castle — 2013-02-07T15:30:00Z

Registration is now open for the RIPE NCC General Meeting (GM) May 2013.

The GM will be held on Wednesday, 15 May from 16:00-20:00 (UTC +2) at the Burlington Hotel in Dublin, Ireland, adjacent to the RIPE 66 Meeting, which runs from 13-17 May.

An election will take place at the GM to fill two seats on the RIPE NCC Executive Board. Details on how to nominate a candidate and a list of the nominees are available.

There is also a simple overview on how members can participate in the GM, including how to register to attend and how to vote electronically.

RIPE NCC Survey 2011 - Key Findings and Actions

Marita Phelan — 2013-01-31T11:29:57Z

In 2011, the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) carried out the RIPE NCC Membership and Stakeholder Survey 2011 on our behalf.

There were 825 full responses, the most ever received for a RIPE NCC survey. The RIPE NCC is extremely grateful to all those who participated in the survey.

The OII analysed the survey data and produced 52 key findings. Over the past 18 months, the RIPE NCC examined the key findings and took action on them where appropriate.

The document detailing all 52 key findings and the actions taken by the RIPE NCC is now available.

The document outlines the actions taken by the RIPE NCC so far, but it should be noted that work continues in all areas.

If you would like to comment on the findings and actions, or on the document itself, please let us know at feedback _at_ ripe _dot_ net.

Any feedback received in the coming weeks would be particularly timely as we are currently preparing the RIPE NCC Survey 2013. This feedback will inform the 2013 survey and consequently the actions carried out by the RIPE NCC in response.

The new survey will launch at the RIPE 66 Meeting in Dublin in May 2013. We look forward to your support in this project and hope you will participate in the survey.

Middle East Peering Forum to Debut in Dubai

Adam Castle — 2013-01-30T14:35:00Z

The inaugural Middle East Peering Forum (MPF) will be held at MENOG 12 on 7 March 2013 at the Radisson Royal Hotel in Dubai, hosted by the RIPE NCC, the Regional Internet Registry (RIR) for Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Central Asia, and the Middle East Network Operators Group (MENOG).

Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) are a hot topic in the Middle East right now. They allow network operators to exchange traffic (or “peer”) more easily and cheaply. This results in more bandwidth and faster traffic for less cost. That’s why governments and industry are getting involved, and it is also why missing out on this opportunity could put businesses in the region at a severe competitive disadvantage.

Internet growth in the Middle East is at its highest point yet, and further development of infrastructure and capacity will rely on IXPs. Today, there are only a handful of IXPs in the region (Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine and the UAE). It will be the early adopters that gain an upper hand in the explosive Middle East Internet market.

The MPF will bring together the leading content providers, social media operators, network operators and mobile operators from around the world. These organisations are now more than ever interested in the Middle East market. With an open and interactive format, the MPF will discuss a wide range of issues that are important to the Middle East peering community. Attendees will have an opportunity to discuss industry trends and recent developments, and can expand their professional networks and initiate new peering arrangements. The MPF will also discuss the impact the new IXPs will have on the Internet landscape, and how they will come to affect Internet Service Providers and network operators over time.

The RIPE NCC and MENOG are grateful to have the support of Datamena, Equinix, Etisalat, Google, Hurricane Electric, ICANN, IX Reach, Renesys and UAE-IX that are sponsoring the event.

Serge Radovcic, Chief Communications Officer of the RIPE NCC, said, “The introduction of the Middle East Peering Forum is a great moment for the Internet industry in the region. We have already seen a significant milestone with the recent development of new Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) in the Middle East. But technical developments are not enough - it is critical for the future of the Internet in the Middle East that industry stakeholders can draw from the knowledge and experience of others with face to face meetings to foster these crucial relationships. Following the trend we have already seen in other regions, I am certain that the introduction of IXPs and the imminent uptake of Internet peering will quickly become compelling and rewarding for organisations seeking a competitive advantage.”

Osama I. Al-Dosary, Chairman of MENOG, said, “MENOG is proud to host the first Middle East Peering Forum (MPF) as part of the MENOG 12 event. We view this as a natural evolution of MENOG and our Internet community. By bringing together experts from across the Middle East and around the world to share their knowledge and experience, we are confident that the regional Internet community will continue to move from strength to strength. The current formation of Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) is an important start and a positive progression. We hope to see more of such initiatives in the region given the great importance of IXPs to national Internet resilience and economic growth. Events like MENOG underscore the basic principles of the Internet – openness and collaboration, and will help drive continued Internet development in the Middle East.”

The MPF is free to attend, and not to be missed by any Internet organisations seeking to expand their market advantage. Organisations are encouraged to register online.

RIPE NCC Member Update, January 2013

Marita Phelan — 2013-01-21T14:13:38Z

The RIPE NCC is pleased to announce that the latest Member Update is now available online. This issue includes an update from the RIPE NCC Managing Director, as well as articles on reaching the last /8, IPv4 transfers, the WTSA and WCIT conferences, and the previous General Meeting.

RIPE NCC Activity Plan and Budget 2013

Marita Phelan — 2012-12-13T15:48:51Z

We are pleased to announce that the RIPE NCC's Activity Plan and Budget for 2013 is now available online. This definitive document has been approved by the RIPE NCC Executive Board with input from the RIPE community, and outlines the work we will undertake in the coming year.

Changes have been made since the draft Activity Plan was introduced prior to the last RIPE NCC General Meeting. Some things to note in the final document:

Reference to DAUs and other service references have been removed, as they are now required to become members under the new Charging Scheme
All activities have been updated to reflect their latest status in detail
The service descriptions for NRTM and the RIPE Database Proxy Service have changed
The Technical Emergency hotline has been added
RIPE Days have been removed from Regional Meetings
Some sections, like the introduction and the Member Survey section have been updated, and a new section for Unforeseen Activities has been added
Income has been recalculated based on latest estimates
Expenses have been finalised, with a slight increase of 170 kEUR

Read the RIPE NCC Activity Plan and Budget 2013.