[members-discuss] RIPE DB NRTM access.

Dear Pawel

We have followed this discussion on NRTM issues and would like to thank
you for raising the subject. First, let me try to provide some
historical context to explain how we got to where we are.

In the beginning, NRTM was totally open and free. Over time, it became
clear that some users were taking advantage of this service to data mine
the RIPE Database for email addresses. Many users whose email addresses
were only listed in the RIPE Database were receiving spam. At this point
it was decided to register NRTM users. To apply for this service, you
had to fill in a form stating who you are, why you wanted the service,
what IP address you would use to receive the data stream and provide
contact details. The software was adjusted to only accept requests for
NRTM data from these registered IP addresses.

Some years later our administrative database used for controlling access
to the RIPE Database was growing, with many NRTM users listed who no
longer made use of the service. In the mean time, the RIPE Data
Protection Task Force proposed we filter both the NRTM data stream and
the daily split files to remove email addresses. We then moved to the
current paid service as a means of covering the administrative overhead
and limiting the list of users to only those who actively use the service.

The RIPE NCC is open to suggestions for restructuring this service and
its administration. Over recent years, it has been discussed at great
length at RIPE Meetings with regard to data protection. Perhaps you
would like to open a new discussion on the RIPE Database Working Group
mailing list [1] to review NRTM and the daily split files services.
Technical suggestions, such as the rsync option, can also be covered in
the community discussions. If consensus is reached for a better
solution, we will be pleased to implement it.

[1] https://www.ripe.net/ripe/groups/wg/db

Regards,

Denis Walker
Business Analyst
RIPE NCC Database Group




On 7/01/12:2 6:12 PM, Pawel Tyll wrote:
> Hello people (and ticket bots :>),
> 
> I  wanted  to  do  some  BGP  filtering automation today, learned some
> interesting  things  in  the  process. I decided on setting up a local
> mirror of RIPE IRR and was quite puzzled with reasoning behind this:
> 
> http://www.ripe.net/data-tools/db/nrtm-mirroring
> 
> So,  I  can  download  the  whole  database  snapshot  for  free  from
> ftp.ripe.net,   wasting   bandwidth   and   other resources, or on the
> other  hand  I  can  pay for doing things the right and efficient way,
> which in the process is effectively cheaper for all involved parties.
> 
> So  the  question  is  -  what gives? :) - why does RIPE insist that I
> download >200MB of compressed data instead of catching up probably few
> hundred KB of daily changes?
> 
> --Pawel.
> 
>