RIPE NCC Activity Plan R. Blokzijl 1 January 1995 Document ID: ripe-125 Obsoletes: ripe-110 1. Introduction This document represents the activity plan for the RIPE NCC as defined by RIPE at its 19th meeting in Lisbon on September 14th 1994 and agreed by the RIPE NCC Contributors Comittee at its meeting in Amsterdam on September 21st 1994. It is identical to the 1994 activity plan (ripe- 110) with activities 3.9 and 3.10 added. ripe-125.txt RIPE NCC Activity Plan - 2 - 2. Background 2.1. About RIPE RIPE (Reseaux IP Europeens) is a collaborative organisation open to all European Internet service providers. The objective of RIPE is to ensure the necessary administrative and technical coordination to allow the operation of a pan-European IP network. RIPE does not operate a network of its own. RIPE has been functioning since 1989. Currently more then 60 organisations participate in the work. The result of the RIPE coordination effort is that the individual end-user is presented on his desktop with a uniform IP service, irrespective of the particular network his or her workstation is attached to. In December 1993, more than 500,000 hosts throughout Europe are reachable via networks coordinated by RIPE. The total number of systems reachable worldwide is estimated at close to two million. 2.2. About the RIPE NCC The RIPE Network Coordination Centre supports all those RIPE activities which cannot be effectively performed by volunteers from the participating organisations. Besides supporting RIPE activities in general, the RIPE NCC provides the following services to network operators: o network management database containing information about IP networks, DNS domains, IP routing policies and contact information o delegated Internet registry, a clearing house distributing Internet numbers (most importantly address space) o domain name system (DNS) coordination o graphical maps of IP networks o repository for network operations software o RIPE document store o interactive information service The RIPE NCC started operations on April 1st, 1992, and currently has 3 permanent staff members. The RIPE NCC is embedded in RIPE. This means that the RIPE NCC Activity Plan is defined by RIPE, and that the RIPE NCC reports, at least, to RIPE on a regular basis. The RARE association provides the formal framework for the RIPE NCC. ripe-125.txt RIPE NCC Activity Plan - 3 - 3. Technical - Coordination Activities 3.1. Internet Registry for Europe The RIPE NCC will will act as the European registry for the delegation of Internet numbers. The RIPE NCC will perform this function in close cooperation and coordination with a. The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) b. The global Internet Registry (currently the Internic) c. Local Registries of European service providers In exceptional cases the NCC can act as the Registry of last resort for European organisations. 3.2. Maintain a database of European IP networks and their management information. The database to be maintained will contain several classes of objects. These objects are described in detail in ripe-13. The NCC will be responsible for the database entries; this includes a. collection of database entries b. checking of individual entries c. checking of consistency and integrity of the database Quarterly reports on changes in the contents of the database will be produced, together with statistics about the number of database entries. 3.3. Distribution of the database. Secondary copies of the database can be installed at other sites upon request. It is the responsibility of the NCC to keep track of such secondaries. The RIPE NCC will provide assistance to local registries in setting up secondary database servers. An up to date record of secondary sites will be maintained on line. 3.4. Coordination of database exchange with other organisations. The NCC will coordinate and execute the exchange of database information with NCC's outside Europe. The result will be that for the end user of the database one uniform set of global information will be available. 3.5. Keep a record of operational contact points. This will consist of a list of NOC's and responsible people that will be used as a reference list for the individual NOC's to be ripe-125.txt RIPE NCC Activity Plan - 4 - used in case of network related incidents, including security incidents. Individual NOC's will be able to subscribe to a weekly update service. 3.6. Placement of name servers and backup servers in Europe, and beyond. On a regular basis the interworking between the DNS name servers in Europe, and their connections to name servers outside Europe, must be checked. Detected errors and inconsistencies must be reported. Corrective actions must be followed in case of severe problems. The result will be a consistent set of name servers. 3.7. Referral Service. The RIPE NCC will perform a Referral Service for Internet Service providers. The NCC will do this in a fair and impartial way. The service is only available to service providers contributing to RIPE NCC funding. 3.8. Coordination with Local Registries. The RIPE NCC will keep close contact with Local Registries in Europe. The RIPE NCC will assist such registries in setting up and maintaining their services. This activity may include presentations on the work of the RIPE NCC for broader audiences, such as relevant conferences and workshops. It may also include coordinated development of common tools. 3.9. Routing Registry Maintenance The RIPE NCC will maintain the RIPE Routing Registry according to the relevant RIPE documents. It will encourage European service providers to use the RR and support them in doing so. The NCC will actively work with service providers to minimise gaps in coverage. It will provide training and report on the status of the registry. The NCC will coordinate with other RRs to achieve Internet wide RR coverage. The RIPE NCC will identify and propose needed extensions to the RR. 3.10.PRIDE Tool Maintenance The RIPE NCC will maintain the Routing Regis