FAQ: ISPs
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My ISP is about to close down. I want to keep the IP addresses they issued to me. Am I allowed to do that?
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If the IP addresses you received from your ISP have a status of "ASSIGNED PI" they are Provider Independent. That means you can take them with you when you change ISP. If your IP addresses have a status of "ASSIGNED PA" they are Provider Aggregatable; that means you will not be able to take them with you. You will have to renumber.
The status of the addresses is visible in the inetnum object in the RIPE Whois Database. You can query the Database on our web site at:
You can read more about PA and PI address space in the RIPE document "Provider Independent versus Provider Aggregatable Address Space" which is available from the RIPE Document Store.
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My ISP is about to close down. I have a new ISP and they need to add a route object in the Database but cannot do this. Can you add the route object for us?
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The data in the RIPE Database is owned by the people who enter it and not by the RIPE NCC.
The RIPE NCC is not permitted to change user data.
There is a security mechanism called RPSS controlling the creation of route objects. RPSS is designed to stop the creation of route objects (amongst other things) without the agreement of the the person controlling the AS Number and the person controlling the IP addresses.
If the IP addresses and AS number are from different ISPs those ISPs will need to work together to create a route object for you.
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Is the RIPE NCC accountable for the operation of its Local Internet Registries (LIRs)?
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The RIPE NCC is a Regional Internet Registry (RIR) providing global Internet resources and related services. We are not a regulator of the Internet community in our service region nor do we police the quality of service provided by ISPs in our service region. In situations where an LIR or Internet Service Provider (ISP) ceases operation our response is governed by the policies that are set by the RIPE community. These polices are detailed in the RIPE document "IPv4 Address Allocation and Assignment Policies in the RIPE NCC Service Region".
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What happens to my PA address space if my LIR or ISP ceases operation?
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Assignments of PA addresses will not automatically be taken from a customer by the RIPE NCC.
More information can be found in the following sections of the RIPE Document "Mergers, Acquisitions, Takeovers and Closures of Organisations Operating an LIR" located at:
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What will happen to my pending request for Internet resources if my LIR ceases operation?
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As soon as the LIR decides to close it should halt any open requests for IP address space. Customers with pending requests should approach another LIR in their region.
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Can I take my address range with me when I change ISPs (i.e. renumbering)?
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If the customer has PI addresses the assignment will remain valid providing the criteria for the original assignment are met.
Customers with PA addresses are recommended to obtain a new address space assignment from another LIR and return the PA address space that was assigned by their original LIR. In this way full use of aggregation is made. When a customer renumbers into an address allocation held by another LIR, their assignments can be routed as part of that LIRs allocation. At the same time the aggretability of the original LIRs allocated block is maintained.
It is the responsibility of an LIR to make it clear to their customers which type of address space is assigned to them.
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My organisation is/was multi-homed but our aut-num and route objects were maintained by an ISP that is no longer operating. Can you change the objects for us?
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The RIPE NCC will not change user data in the RIPE Database. If you have a maintainer object in the Database which you do not control, you will need to contact the RIPE Database Department who will guide you through the process of regaining control of the maintainer.
An explanation on how to contact the RIPE Database managers is available on our web site.
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What are Provider Aggregatable (PA) addresses and Provider Independent (PI) addresses?
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PA addresses are assigned from an LIR's allocation and are registered in the RIPE Database by the LIR. The advantage of PA addresses is that the routing information for many customers can be aggregated once it leaves the provider's routing domain.
PI address space is assigned separately and not from an LIR's PA allocation. All PI assignments are registered in the RIPE Database by the RIR assigning it. PI ranges are usually small; they cannot be aggregated into larger blocks. The disadvantage of this is that networks operators throughout the Internet may choose not to route them.
As the RIPE NCC has begun to allocate IPv4 address space from the last /8, no new IPv4 PI space can be assigned. This is in accordance with section 5.6 of "IPv4 address Allocation and Assignment Policies for the RIPE NCC Service Region". IPv6 PI space is still available.
