[db-wg] new "via" attributes in aut-num Class

Dear colleagues, 

We received the suggested patch to the RIPE Database software from Job Snijders containing the implementation of the features he describes below. The code he submitted meets the quality standards we have in the Database team and from a technical point of view we are willing to apply the patch.

If the community supports the addition of the proposed attributes the RIPE NCC can go ahead and merge his implementation and make it available in the next release.

Kind regards,

Johan Åhlén
Assistant Manager Database
RIPE NCC

On 14 Aug 2013, at 15:50, Job Snijders <job.snijders at atrato.com> wrote:

> Dear working group,
> 
> As some of you might know I've been working on extending the RPSL syntax
> to make life easier for certain scenario's, such as operating a Route Server. 
> 
> The purpose of the new attributes and the patch is to make life easier for Route
> Server operators whom have to deal with participants who have been assigned
> a 32 bit ASN. There currently is no way to relay information between non-adjacent
> ASNs, and 32 bit ASNs do not fit into standard BGP communities when coupled
> with an action code. Often Route server operators overload BGP communities to
> assess which participant should receive what prefixes, the "via" feature addresses
> exactly that concern. 
> 
> I have submitted the following draft to the IETF: 
> 
> 	http://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-snijders-rpsl-via
> 
> And I have submitted a patch for the RIPE whois server to support the feature. 
> 
> 	https://github.com/job/whois
> 
> The extension should be backward compatible with minimal impact on existing
> tools and processes, following Section 10.2 of RFC2622. RPSL parsers which
> do not understand the new attributes are expected to just ignore it. 
> 
> I am looking for feedback from this community, and especially the community's
> blessing to allow RIPE NCC to adopt the patch. 
> 
> Kind regards,
> 
> Job