Policy Pre-CPM

Last Modified on -

Anycast Assignments in the AFRINIC region

Details

 

1) Summary of the Problem Being Addressed by this Policy Proposal

 

The current policy (AFPUB-2012-V4-001) that lets AFRINIC members acquire space for anycast service deployment purposes does not provide the ability to request IPv6 anycast space (and for AFRINIC to issue it to anyone). There's also no provision for issuing AS Numbers for anycast purposes. This proposal attempts to modify AFPUB-2012-V4-001 to fix these issues.

 

2) Summary of How this Proposal Addresses the Problem

The proposal modifies AFPUB-2012-V4-001 to include the option to request IPv6 space and AS Numbers for anycast purposes from AFRINIC and for AFRINIC to issue these resources to the requestors.

For the avoidance of doubt, the author does not seek to prolong the lifespan of IPv4 with this proposal but rather, to ensure that number resources allocated/assigned by AFRINIC are used by legitimate members from the service region to support their network operations, regardless of physical location.

 

3) Proposal

AFPUB-2012-V4-001 is modified from the original version to the following version:

 

 

1.Summary of the problem being addressed by the policy proposal

This proposal allows an organization to receive an IPv4/IPv6 allocation or assignment and/or an AS Number purely for anycast or GPRS Roaming Exchange (GRX) usage. The usage must be in line with industry best practices as described in BCP126, BCP169, or their successors. 

 

2. Summary of how this proposal addresses the problem

This proposal allows the use of:

  1. One (1) /24 of IPv4 for anycast services from a PA allocation of an LIR or direct end-user assignment.
  2. One /48 of IPv6 for anycast services from an IPv6 LIR allocation or direct end-user assignment.
  3. An AS Number for anycast purposes.

AFRINIC staff will consider anycast IPv4/IPv6 blocks assigned to be "fully utilised" by the LIR when considering utilisation for first allocation or for an additional allocation to an LIR.

 

3. Proposal

3.1 An organization may obtain one (1) /24 IPv4 and/or one (1) /48 IPv6 prefix for anycast or GRX purposes from an allocation or an AFRINIC issued direct end-user assignment. An AS Number may also be issued for the same purposes if requested. These resources must be used for the sole purposes of providing anycast services or GRX (GPRS Roaming Exchanges) as recommended in BCP126, BCP169 or their successors. The IPv4/IPv6 prefixes will count as being fully utilised when an organization applies for additional resources. The utilization criteria that apply to all IPv4 and IPv6 initial allocation or assignment requests shall be waived for anycast assignment requests.

 

3.2 Blocks used for anycast services cannot be further assigned or sub-allocated. They shall be tagged with the status attribute in the AFRINIC whois service as "ASSIGNED ANYCAST".

 

 

4.0 Revision History

 

Version

Submitted

Summary of Changes

01

2014-10-07

Initial Draft

02

2014-10-27

In Sec 3.1, replaced: “These resources must be used for the sole purpose of anycasting web or authoritative DNS servers as described in BCP126/RFC 4786 or for GPRS Roaming Exchange” with “These resources must be used for the sole purposes of providing anycast services”.

03

2014-11-04

Replaced: "These resources must be used for the sole purposes of providing anycast services" with "These resources must be used for the sole purposes of providing anycast services or GRX (GPRS Roaming Exchanges)."

04

2014-12-05

Added the following changes after face-to-face discussions during AFRINIC-21:

  • “AN AS Number should..” to “AN AS Number may..”
  • Re-instate BCP126 provisions

 

04

2015-01-13

Added .."BCP126, BCP169, and their successors" to Sec 1 and Sec 3. See this post on rpd.
04 2015-02-06 Ratified by the AFRINIC Board.

Last Modified on -

Ref. Name: AFPUB-2013-V6-001-DRAFT01
Amends: AFPUB-2004-v6-001
Status: Implemented
Date: 16 May 2013
Author(s):
- Steven Wiesman
- Steven Tapper
- Charles Hendrickson
Organisation: Accenture

 

1) Summary of the Problem Being Addressed by this Policy Proposal
 

The current AFRINIC allocation policy provides for and assigns IPv6 space to companies residing within the region's countries. This assignment policy aligns with the IPv6 hierarchy but does not allow for multinational companies' efficient distribution of IPv6 address space. Under the existing policy, a multinational company has to apply for membership and IPv6 resources from every location in which it operates. This is both costly and time consuming to the Registry and the Multinational Company applying for membership.


The RIR has to maintain and organize multiple prefixes assigned to one company and provide services appropriate to the membership process. The company applying for membership has to perform the same function of managing multiple IPv6 assigned ranges and technically operate and manage the disparate IPv6 ranges assigned to the locations.

For example under the existing policy,

  • Multinational company A operates in 15 countries within the AFRINIC region.
  • The Multinational Company needs to apply for membership from each of the 15 locations.
  • The Multinational Company needs to apply for IPv6 resources from each of the 15 locations.
  • The Multinational Company has 15 potentially different prefixes to manage and operate.
  • The Multinational Company has 15 potentially different prefix lengths to manage and operate.
  • The multinational company needs to pay yearly the renewal fees to lease the IPv6 address space awarded for each location.
  • AFRINIC needs to review and award location based appropriate prefixes to each of the 15 locations.
  • AFRINIC needs to assign IPv6 resources to 15 separate locations which may come from separate areas of the RIR managed IPv6 ranges.
  • AFRINIC needs to process the paperwork for 1 company 15 times for membership.
  • AFRINIC needs to process billing on a yearly basis for 1 multinational company 15 different times.
  • IPv6 address assignments are location based and must only be advertised as an aggregated prefix to the Internet in which the prefix was awarded. Additional subnetting and advertisement of the awarded IPv6 address range is not permitted. For example:
    • One /32 aggregated from one location
    • Smaller subnets, ie /48 from the same prefix, cannot be advertised out of another location

 
2) Summary of How this Proposal Addresses the Problem



This proposal allows for the Multinational Company to apply for and obtain a larger aggregated IPv6 block of addresses and allows the company to allocate, assign and advertise the IPv6 address range awarded according to its own internal IPv6 hierarchical policies. Additionally, AFRINIC will now only need to review and maintain membership records for one instance of the multinational company, and by prefix, immediately identifies the company. For example under the proposed policy,

  • Multinational Company A operates in 15 countries within the AFRINIC region.
  • The Multinational Company needs to apply for membership one time.
  • The Multinational Company needs to apply for IPv6 resources one time providing sufficient evidence of hierarchical design.
  • The Multinational Company is awarded a prefix sufficent to cover the 15 offices and future growth and or expansion within the region.
  • The Multinational Company has one prefix to manage, operate and break down according to its internal policy.
  • The multinational company needs to pay yearly the renewal fees to lease the IPv6 address space awarded one time.
  • AFRINIC needs to process the paperwork for 1 company.
  • AFRINIC needs to review and award a prefix to the multinational company one time.
  • AFRINIC needs to process billing on a yearly basis for 1 multinational company one time.
  • The IPv6 address assignment is company identifiable.
  • Policy allows for multiple aggregated prefixes to the Internet.
  • Additional subnetting and advertisement of the aggregated IPv6 address range is permitted. For example:
    • One /32 aggregated from one location
    • Smaller subnets, ie /48 from the same prefix, advertised out of another location.


3) Proposal


We propose to delete the following sentence in section 6.1.1 (d) from the IPv6 Address Allocation and Assignment Policy

"The LIR should also plan to announce the allocation as a single aggregated block in the inter-domain routing system within twelve months."


Revision History:

None

 

Page 2 of 12