RIPE: last call for comments RPSL transition

Hi, Joachim,

  We had a lively discussion about the RPSL transition during the RIPE-38
meeting.
Well, if we can't fight them then the best thing to do is to join them.
With the company's support behind us, we (Cable & Wireless Global) as a
legacy LIR (used to be MCI)
would like to work with RIPE to help the RPSL transition.

CW will adopt a similar schedule as RIPE's to transform our Routing
Registry
into the new RPSL format.
This will probably make all the mirroring LIRs' job much easier and
hopefully all the downstream ISPs happier (only the RPSL format to deal
with).

So GO FOR IT.

Ping Lu
Cable & Wireless Global
Network Tools and Analysis Group, USA
W: +1-703-292-2359
E: plu at cw.net


>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: SchmitzJo at aol.com [mailto:SchmitzJo at aol.com]
>> Sent: Friday, February 16, 2001 6:46 PM
>> To: routing-wg at ripe.net; db-wg at ripe.net; lir-wg at ripe.net;
>> local-ir at ripe.net
>> Cc: andrei at ripe.net; joao at ripe.net; hph at a.sol.no;
>> woeber at cc.univie.ac.at; schmitzjo at aol.com
>> Subject: RIPE: last call for comments RPSL transition
>> Importance: Low
>> 
>> 
>> Hello all,
>> 
>> as you are aware, we are preparing the migration of the RIPE database 
>> software to support and deploy the new RPSL format. The required steps
>> have been discussed in depth on various occassions (for references,
>> see end of mail).
>> 
>> We are now preparing the most important step, really 
>> transitioning from
>> old 
>> RIPE-181 to new RPSL format:
>> 
>>    proposed transition date is 23-Apr-2001.
>> 
>> This step, once taken, will not be reversed. The majority of the user 
>> community takes a neutral role, while some want an earlier, 
>> and a few a
>> later 
>> date for migration. During the joint session of Routing and DB WG at
>> RIPE38, 
>> the chairmen of both WGs were tasked to file a last call for 
>> comments on
>> that 
>> date, in particular whether there are serious, unresolvable 
>> technical or
>> operational problems which would benefit from a slightly 
>> longer warning
>> period.
>> 
>> According to consensus at the session: If you are convinced that the
>> transition date as proposed would lead to significant operational
>> problems, please explain and justify why within the next 2 weeks:
>> 
>>    deadline for transition comments: 1-Mar-2001
>> 
>> Only well founded reasoning (including an educated guess 
>> about the time
>> and resources required to resolve the issue) shall be accepted by the
>> community in order to consider postponing the transition.
>> 
>> With the discussion about the migration going on for quite 
>> some time, and 
>> information available from various places, we do not expect a 
>> delay, but 
>> we would want to give everybody a last opportunity to comment.
>> 
>> To summarize the dates, we are looking at:
>> 
>> o  23-Apr-2001: switching to the RPSL database
>>     - All objects are automatically converted to RPSL format
>>     - Queries return RPSL only
>>     - Mirroring follows new format and rules at 
>> whois.ripe.net, port 4444
>>     - RPSL formatted updates can be submitted to auto-rpsl at ripe.net
>>     - RIPE-181 updates are still accepted at auto-dbm at ripe.net,
>>         but are autmatically converted to RPSL
>>     - RFC2725 (Routing Policy Security System) rules apply throughout
>> 
>> o  14-May-2001: exchanging mail addresses for submitting 
>> RIPE181 and RPSL-
>>    formatted updates
>>     - auto-dbm at ripe.net only accepts RPSL updates
>>     - RIPE-181 updates are still possible but now go to 
>> auto-181 at ripe.net
>>         and are automatically converted to RPSL (again, 
>> RFC2725 rules apply
>>         here as well)
>> 
>> o  15-Oct-2001: RIPE-181 updates are no longer accepted
>> 
>> For further reading, please refer to the migration web page
>>   http://www.ripe.net/rpsl
>> or for the discussion during the joint session of the DB/Routing WGs
>> please review the minutes.
>> 
>> For technical specifications of RPSL please refer to
>> - rfc2622: "Routing Policy Specification Language (RPSL)"
>>   Status: PROPOSED STANDARD,
>> - rfc2650: "Using RPSL in Practice"
>>   Status: INFORMATIONAL
>> - rfc2725: "Routing Policy System Security"
>>   Status: PROPOSED STANDARD
>> 
>> Thanks a lot - the RIPE NCC and the chairmen of
>>    Routing: Joachim Schmitz
>>    DB: Wilfried Woeber
>>    LIR: Hans Peter Holen
>> 
>>