Unique NIC/RIPE/xxx-Handles

Duncan Rogerson <D.Rogerson at nosc.ja.net> writes
 * > handle:  XXXXYYY at ncc.ripe.net
 * ..
 * > etc.?  Or, if that might confuse NIC handles with email addresses,
 * > replacing the @ with another character?
 * 
 * I think having something that looks like an e-mail address is
 * a bad idea, it's too confusing.
 * 
 * Given that one of the aims of handles is (I think !) a more
 * compact, shorthand form of referring to someone, the  RIPE-DR222
 * idea sounds better to me - DR222 at rs.internic.net is longer than
 * my real name !
 * 
 * Dunc

Another solution is to divide the numbers that go with the initials in a
nic handle among the NICs, so for instance the NCC could give out nic handles
that have numbers between 2000 and 4000, InterNIC 0-2000, APNIC 4000-6000
etcetera. This is similar to the address allocation scheme ...
So, the first nic handle the NCC could give out would be AAA2000 and the last
one ZZZ3999. This way you would have one global nic handle space, but still
be able to assign handles at various different places without generating
clashes.

-Marten