RIPE Database Reference Manual

Denis Walker

Document ID: ripe-419
Date: October 2007
Obsoletes: ripe-402, ripe-401, ripe-254, ripe-252, ripe-243, ripe-239, ripe-201

Abstract

This document outlines what the RIPE Database is and where to find detailed information. It is intended as an overview and provides an index of further documents where the detail can be found. The indexed documents will be released on a regular basis to keep up to date with changes made to the database software and procedures.

Intended Audience

This reference manual is for both casual and advanced users who make use of the RIPE Database, including new users.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Database Documents
• Appendices
• Copyright Information
  • RIPE Database Copyright
  • RIPE NCC Copyright
• References

Introduction

The RIPE Network Management Database (often called the RIPE Database) contains information about IP address space allocations and assignments, routing policies and reverse delegations in the RIPE NCC service region [1].

It also contains some information about forward domain names. However, this information about domain names is for reference only. The RIPE Database is not the same as domain name registries, which are run by the country code Top-Level Domain (ccTLD) administrators of Europe and surrounding areas. If this is what you need, you should use the IANA ccTLD Database for a full list of the ccTLD administrators [2].

While the information in the RIPE Database is made freely available to the public for Internet operational purposes, it is subject to copyright restrictions.

The set of documents referenced in this document relate to the current RIPE Database software. This series uses the Routing Policy Specification Language (RPSL) [3] to represent all database objects. It uses the Routing Policy System Security (RPSS) [4] for authorisation. This provides better security for Internet Routing Registries (IRR). The RIPE Database includes an IRR as well as an Internet Number Registry (INR).

The referenced documents focus on the database. They do not explain in any detail how the database software works. They do not always make clear why it works this way. For that you may need to refer to RIPE Policy documents [5]. The referenced documents are not a statement of any RIPE Policy.

Database Documents

A list of all supporting documents is available at the RIPE NCC website.

Appendices

Copyright Information

RIPE Database Copyright

The information in the RIPE Database is available to the public subject to the database copyright statement.

RIPE NCC Copyright

[c] RIPE NCC 2007

References

[1] RIPE NCC Service Region.

[2] The IANA ccTLD Database contains a full list of the ccTLD administrators.

[3] Routing Policy Specification Language (RPSL) - RFC2622 - June 1999
Authors: C. Alaettinoglu, C. Villamizar, E. Gerich, D. Kessens, D. Meyer, T. Bates, D. Karrenberg and M. Terpstra.

[4] Routing Policy System Security - RFC2725 - December 1999
Authors: C. Villamizar, C. Alaettinoglu, D. Meyer and S. Murphy.

[5] RIPE Document Store.