News & Announcements

RIPE NCC IPv4 Address Space Chart - Now Updated

alix — 2013-06-17T23:00:00Z

The RIPE NCC's IPv4 address space chart has been updated. This chart shows the number of available IPv4 addresses in the RIPE NCC's pool and is updated daily.

The RIPE NCC received its last allocation from the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority's (IANA) central pool of IPv4 addresses on 3 February 2011.

More information about IPv4 Exhaustion.

The RIPE NCC Survey 2013 is Now Online

Marita Phelan — 2013-06-11T09:15:00Z

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 24 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.

Changes to the RIPE NCC Senior Management Team

Adam Castle — 2013-06-10T09:09:15Z

From today, 10 June 2013, Kaveh Ranjbar will join the RIPE NCC's Senior Management Team as Head of the Science Division.

This change will see Daniel Karrenberg step down from his role as Head of the Science Division, although he will remain at the RIPE NCC as Advisor to the Managing Director.

As one of the pioneers of the Internet in Europe and someone who is responsible for developing many of the services the RIPE NCC currently offers, the RIPE NCC is happy that Daniel has agreed to remain at the RIPE NCC in this capacity. He has a wealth of experience and knowledge that will continue to benefit the RIPE NCC in the years to come.

Daniel agreed to accept operational charge of the Science Division on the condition that it would be a temporary position, and he remained in the role much longer than he expected to. This allowed the RIPE NCC to prepare well in advance for this change to the senior management structure.

The RIPE NCC gives sincere thanks to Daniel for the work he has carried out over the past years.

Kaveh has worked as the RIPE Database Manager at the RIPE NCC since 2010. Kaveh was instrumental in developing the RIPE Database from legacy software to a modern integrated system, and he has many years' experience working in the telecoms/ISP sector. Kaveh will build on Daniel's work to develop the Science Division at the RIPE NCC.

RIPE NCC Report on the ITU WTPF-13

Chris Buckridge — 2013-05-27T07:30:00Z

The RIPE NCC participated in the event together with the four other Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) and industry partners to discuss Internet governance issues.

Discussions in the Forum focused on a number of Opinions developed ahead of the event by an Informal Experts Group (IEG) made up of ITU Member States, Sector Members and non-affiliated experts. Paul Wilson of APNIC and Cathy Handley of ARIN participated in the IEG.

These Opinions were as follows:

Opinion 1: Promoting Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) as a long term solution to advance connectivity

Opinion 2: Fostering an enabling environment for the greater growth and development of broadband connectivity

Opinion 3: Supporting Capacity Building for the deployment of IPv6

Opinion 4: In Support of IPv6 Adoption and Transition from IPv4

Opinion 5: Supporting Multi-stakeholderism in Internet Governance

Opinion 6: On supporting operationalizing the Enhanced Cooperation Process

The RIPE NCC submitted a document addressing five of these Opinions on behalf of the five RIRs. This submission was announced to the RIPE community in early May.

The Forum discussed the six Opinions in three Working Groups and adopted all six Opinions with few editorial changes. Part II of the Report by the Chairman of the 5th World Telecommunication Policy/ICT Forum includes the final text of these Opinions.

The RIRs' submission highlighted some specific issues with the text of the Opinions, and the endorsement of the Opinions was seen as a compromise with ITU Member States grappling with issues relating to Internet policy.

The RIPE NCC particularly appreciated the opportunity to work with the Minister Ivo Ivanovsky of Macedonia, Chairman of the Forum, and Mr Musab Abdulla of Bahrain, Chair of the Working Group responsible for considering Opinions 3 and 4. Their positive leadership in the Forum helped to usher the six Opinions to consensus agreement, while providing the RIPE NCC and other RIRs the opportunity to make several remarks on the record and clarify some of the issues raised in the Opinions. [See the report from the Chairman of Working Group 2 in Section III of the WTPF Chairman's Report].

One of the most significant developments to come out of the WTPF related to a seventh Opinion relating to “The Role of Government In The Multistakeholder Framework for Internet Governance” submitted by the Brazilian delegation and strongly supported by the Russian delegation. While this Opinion was not endorsed by the Forum, the ITU Secretary-General noted in his closing remarks:

"The dialogue, including the Brazilian proposal, will continue… in Council Working Groups, and in the CSTD [the United Nations´ Commission on Science and Technology for Development] and in other forums.

I will propose that the Council Working Group that discusses this be open to all stakeholders, as this meeting has been, and I will bring this proposal to ITU Council next month."

This is a significant change to the status of the Council Working Group on International Internet-related Public Policy Issues (CWG-Internet), participation in which has so far been restricted to Member States of the ITU. The CWG-Internet has also been the venue for some of the more controversial proposals regarding the ITU's role in Internet governance.

The RIPE NCC, working closely with the other RIRs and industry partners, will monitor developments in this space closely and engage where necessary and appropriate to inform ITU Members in their continuing discussion of Internet-related public policy development.

For further information on the WTPF-13 and the RIPE NCC's involvement, consult the following documents:

We invite you to send any feedback or questions regarding the WTPF-13 and the RIPE NCC's participation via the RIPE Cooperation Working Group mailing list.

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.

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.

RIRs Submit Remarks to ITU WTPF-13

Chris Buckridge — 2013-05-01T14:21:05Z

The document, entitled "Input to the WTPF-13 from the Regional Internet Registries", addresses a range of issues that will be discussed at the upcoming ITU World Telecommunication/ICT Policy Forum 2013 (WTPF-13).

In mid-April, various RIPE community members gave feedback on a draft of this document. It was updated ahead of its official submission and now includes more detailed information to address some of the opinions discussed by the Informal Expert Group (IEG) that was convened in preparation for the WTPF-13.

An annex has been added outlining the efforts of the five RIRs to support the deployment of IPv6 and IPv6 capacity building.

Representatives of all five RIRs will be present at WTPF-13 and, as always, are available for consultation on any of the points raised in this document, as well as any other aspects of RIR business.

RIPE community members are encouraged to comment or raise questions on the RIPE Cooperation Working Group mailing list.

RIPE NCC Annual Report 2012

Fergal Cunningham — 2013-04-18T10:50:00Z

The RIPE NCC Annual Report 2012, including the Financial Report 2012, is now published.

The Annual Report 2012 documents the activities of the RIPE NCC in its 20th year of operation. Some of the highlights of the Annual Report include:

An overview of the RIPE NCC's 20 years serving the RIPE community
Reaching the last /8 of IPv4 address space
Defending the bottom-up, multistakeholder model at the WTSA and WCIT
Detailed statistics on the RIPE NCC's allocation and assignment of Internet number resources in 2012
The development of RIPE Atlas, RIPEstat and other measurement tools during the year
Progress made with the LIR Portal, the RIPE Database and DNS Services in 2012
The RIPE NCC's implementation of RIPE Policy
The range of external relations and outreach activities carried out by the RIPE NCC
RIPE Meeting and Regional Meeting information and statistics
The work carried out by the RIPE NCC's Training Services
The audited 2012 Financial Report of the RIPE NCC
Much, much more...

RIPE NCC members who wish to receive a printed copy can do so via the Communications Preferences area of the LIR Portal. Anyone can request a copy by emailing the RIPE NCC.

RIPE NCC Charging Scheme 2014

Fergal Cunningham — 2013-04-18T10:40:00Z

The RIPE NCC Charging Scheme 2014 is now available online.

The RIPE NCC Executive Board is proposing this Charging Scheme for the membership to vote on at the RIPE NCC General Meeting (GM) on 15 May 2013.

The Charging Scheme continues the "one LIR, one fee" model that was introduced for 2013. The Executive Board proposes that the fee for 2014 be EUR 1,750, plus EUR 50 for every PI assignment.

In previous years, the RIPE NCC Charging Scheme was voted on at the Autumn General Meeting. The Executive Board is putting the Charging Scheme to the membership to vote on at the May General Meeting to:
- Help members with their budgeting for the following year
- Implement the recommendation of the RIPE NCC Charging Scheme Task Force

Voting on the Charging Scheme 2014 will take place at the GM on 15 May. We urge all RIPE NCC members to vote on the Charging Scheme resolution, either in person at the GM or via electronic voting.

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.

RIPE NCC Launches the RIPE Database Training Course

Fergal Cunningham — 2013-04-03T08:26:21Z

In the RIPE Database Training Course, experts from the RIPE NCC will deliver practical, hands-on training to RIPE NCC members in all aspects of RIPE Database use. This monthly course will cover such areas as:

- Finding information in the RIPE Database
- Creating, updating and protecting objects in the RIPE Database
- Reverse delegation in the RIPE Database
- Using RIPEstat to get more from the RIPE Database

Attendees will be able to gain experience using the database and practice their skills through a series of interactive demonstrations and exercises. The course is suitable for beginners as well as more experienced database users. Trainers will cover all the basics and show a range of useful tips that can help RIPE NCC members in their daily operations.

The first RIPE Database Training Courses will take place in Leeds from 7-8 April. These courses are already fully subscribed, but you can register for upcoming courses via the LIR Portal. The RIPE NCC's regular email updates on RIPE Training Courses will contain information on the new course.

Meeting Brings Together RIRs and Law Enforcement Agencies

Marita Phelan — 2013-03-28T11:12:29Z

The UK Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and the RIPE NCC, together with the other Regional Internet Registries (RIRs), organised a dedicated meeting for Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) for the third time on 13 March. The purpose of these meetings is to discuss any ongoing developments regarding the Internet and the RIRs and create awareness within the LEA community about changes in policy that might have an impact on their operations.

Amongst the topics discussed was the concept of IPv4 address space transfers and the potential impact those might have on law enforcement operations. It was concluded that maintaining an accurate and complete address registry is important to all stakeholders.

Another key topic focused on the use of public data sources - such as the RIPE Database - in law enforcement investigations, and how to streamline the process for both LEAs and the relevant RIRs.

With over 60 representatives from law enforcement agencies all over the world, as well as representatives from several RIRs, this was a very successful event. The RIPE NCC would like to thank SOCA for helping to organise this meeting and we look forward to continuing to engage with the global law enforcement community.

RIPE NCC Hosts Brussels Roundtable Meeting for Governments and Regulators

Marita Phelan — 2013-03-21T15:54:56Z

The first 2013 Roundtable Meeting was held in Brussels on 19 March, adjacent to the European Commission's High Level Group on Internet Governance. The event attracted around 40 participants from governments, regulators and industry. These meetings, which are held twice a year, are a major element in the RIPE NCC's efforts to stimulate dialogue and enhance understanding between the public sector and the RIPE community. They also provide an opportunity to identify areas of cooperation between the public sector and the RIPE NCC.

In the period since the last Roundtable Meeting (held in September 2012 during the RIPE 65 Meeting in Amsterdam), there have been a number of significant developments of interest to governments, including the ITU's World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) and the emergence of a trade in IPv4 address blocks.

The agenda of this week's Roundtable Meeting reflected those developments. RIPE NCC Registration Services Manager, Andrea Cima, led a discussion of IPv4 address management in the RIPE NCC service region. Feedback from participants focused on issues including:

The potential size and duration of a global IPv4 market
Strategies to avoid speculation, including needs-based assessment for approval of intra- and inter-RIR resource transfers
Potential for the politicisation of concerns about IPv4 address availability in various governmental forums

Discussion also centered around developments in the IP address registry system, with RIPE NCC Director of External Relations, Paul Rendek, reporting on the RIPE NCC's engagement with the ITU and discussions around the establishment of an "Arab RIR". Participants were able to provide some important feedback and perspectives, such as:

Ongoing and improved communication between the technical community and public sector is vital to informed public policy-making
An NRO-led response to the online consultation by the ITU Council Working Group on international Internet-related public policy issues (CWG-Internet) is important; it is also vital that the RIPE NCC respond to the issues raised (regarding IPv4 policies) ahead of the World Telecommunication/ICT Policy Forum (WTPF) in May, as many of these issues will also be discussed there
The issue of "Enhanced Cooperation" (a concept that emerged from the WSIS events) will continue to be politically sensitive over the coming year, particularly with the establishment of the UN CSTD Working Group on Enhanced Cooperation
While many governments support multi-stakeholder model of Internet governance, it would be useful for the Internet technical community stakeholders to document specific evidence of the multi-stakeholder model's successes.

Finally, Emile Aben, System Architect with the RIPE NCC Research & Development Group, showcased some of the statistical and analytical tools being developed by the RIPE NCC, and their relevance for policy makers. Subsequent discussion demonstrated the public sector's strong interest in this work, particularly in tools that can be used for comparative analysis of Internet trends.

The feedback and discussions that the RIPE NCC Roundtable Meetings facilitate are an important factor in shaping the RIPE NCC's strategy in Internet governance, and are a valuable opportunity for public sector representatives to inform their own decision-making. They can also inspire discussion in more open community venues, including the RIPE Cooperation Working Group, which will meet at RIPE 66 in Dublin this May.

If you would like more information about upcoming RIPE NCC Roundtable Meetings, please contact us at roundtable _at_ ripe _dot_ net.

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.