----------------------------------------------------------------------- APNIC Document identity Title: APNIC Internet Number Resource Policies Short title: apnic-resource-policies Document ref: APNIC-127 Version: 001 Date of original publication: 5 March 2015 Date of this version: 5 March 2015 Review scheduled: n/a Obsoletes: apnic-089, apnic-094 apnic-109, apnic-116, apnic-123, apnic-124, apnic-125 Status: Obsolete Comments: Combines all APNIC resource policies into a single document. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Table of Contents ----------------- Part 1: Policy Environment -------------------------- 1.0. Introduction 1.1. Scope 1.1.1. Additional guidelines and policies 1.1.2. Private address space 1.2. Hierarchy of resource distribution 2.0. Definitions 2.1. Internet Registry (IR) 2.1.1. Regional Internet Registry (RIR) 2.1.2. National Internet Registry (NIR) 2.1.3. Local Internet Registry (LIR) 2.2. Address space 2.2.1. Delegated address space 2.2.2. Allocated address space 2.2.3. Assigned address space 2.3. Autonomous System (AS) 2.3.1. Autonomous System Number (ASN) 2.4. Multihomed 2.5. Internet resources 2.5.1. Current resources 2.5.2. Historical resources 2.6. Internet Exchange Point (IXP) 2.7. Usage rate 2.8. Utilization 2.8.1. HD-Ratio 2.9. End site 2.10. aut-num object 2.11. Routing policy 2.12. Transfers 2.12.1. Counterpart RIR 2.12.2. Source 2.12.3. Recipient 3.0. Policy framework 3.1. Goals of resource management 3.1.1. Uniqueness 3.1.2. Registration 3.1.3. Aggregation 3.1.4. No guarantee of contiguous delegations 3.1.5. Conservation 3.1.6. Fairness 3.1.7. Minimized Overhead 3.1.8. Conflict of goals 3.2. Policy Environment 3.2.1. Routability 3.2.2. Internet growth rates 3.2.3. Collective responsibility 3.2.4. Impartiality 3.2.5. Varying levels of expertise 3.2.6. Address ownership 3.2.7. Address stockpiling 3.2.8. Reservations not supported 3.2.9. Evaluations to be based on best practice 3.2.10. Minimum practical delegation 3.2.11. Slow start mechanism 3.2.11.1. Exceptions to slow start 3.3. Organizations seeking address space from multiple IRs 4.0. Resource License 4.1. License Renewal 4.1.1. Review 4.1.2. Validity of delegations 4.2. Closure and recovery 4.2.1. Recovery of unused historical address space 4.2.2. Recovery of unused historical ASNs 5.0. Resource Management 5.1. How APNIC manages address space 5.1.1. Reservation for future uses 5.1.2. Sparse allocation framework 5.1.3. IPv4 addresses returned to APNIC 5.2. LIR address space management 5.2.1. Assignment window for LIRs 5.2.2. IPv4 address usage estimates 5.2.3. IPv4 Delegations to downstream IRs 5.2.3.1. Effect of delegation to downstream IRs on upstream LIR's usage rate 5.2.4. Policies for LIR IPv6 allocation and assignment 5.2.4.1. LIR-to-ISP allocation 5.2.4.2. Assignment address space size 5.2.4.3. Assignment of multiple /48s to a single end site 5.2.4.4. Assignment to operator's infrastructure 5.3. Registration requirements 5.3.1. Requirements for IPv4 addresses 5.3.1.1. Updating registration details 5.3.1.2. Registering contact persons 5.3.2. Registration requirements for IPv6 addresses 5.3.3. Registration requirements for AS Numbers 5.3.3.1. Registering routing policy 5.3.3.2. Updating registration details 5.4. Reverse lookup 5.4.1. Responsibility to maintain IPv4 in-addr.arpa records 5.4.2. IPv6 reverse lookup 5.5. Managing Historical resources 5.5.1. Utilization of Historical IPv4 address space 5.5.2. Protecting Historical records in the APNIC Whois Database 5.5.3. Procedure for updating Historical registrations 5.5.4. Policies applicable to updated Historical resources 5.6. General requirements for requests 5.6.1. Documentation 5.6.2. Security and confidentiality 5.6.3. Equitable processing of requests 5.6.3.1. Processing dependent on correct documentation 5.7. Experimental allocations policy 5.7.1. Introduction 5.7.1.1. Scope and goal 5.7.2. Allocations for experimental purposes 5.7.2.1. Publication of an experimental RFC 5.7.2.2. Alternative publication approved by APNIC 5.7.3. Experimental allocations 5.7.3.1. Public disclosure of experiment 5.7.3.2. Size of IP allocations 5.7.3.3. APNIC input on proposed experiment 5.7.3.4. Duration of allocation licenses 5.7.3.5. Extension of license 5.7.4. Registration 5.7.4.1. Restriction on commercial or undocumented uses 5.7.5. Fees for experimental allocations Part 2: IPv4 Policy ------------------- 6.0. Initial IPv4 delegations 6.1. Minimum and maximum IPv4 delegations 6.1.1. Additional allocation rounds 6.2. IPv4 request criteria 6.2.1. IPv4 for LIRs 6.2.2. IPv4 for multihoming 6.2.3. IPv4 for critical infrastructure 6.2.4. IPv4 for Internet Exchange Points 7.0. Subsequent IPv4 delegations 7.1. Prior delegations to be used first 7.2. Special circumstances - large delegations 8.0. IPv4 Transfers 8.1. Transfers of IPv4 addresses between APNIC account holders 8.1.1. Conditions on the space to be transferred 8.1.2. Conditions on source of the transfer 8.1.3. Conditions on recipient of the transfer 8.2. Inter-RIR IPv4 address transfers 8.2.1. Conditions on the space to be transferred 8.2.2. Conditions on the source of the transfer 8.2.3. Conditions on the recipient of the transfer 8.3. Transfer of Historical Internet resources 8.3.1. Transfer procedure 8.3.2. Policies applicable to transferred Historical resources 8.4. Mergers & acquisitions 8.4.1. Updating registration details 8.4.2. Effect on membership agreement 8.4.3. Consequences for allocations Part 3: IPv6 Policy ------------------- 9.0. IPv6 allocations 9.1. Minimum IPv6 allocation 9.2. Initial IPv6 allocations 9.2.1. Account holders with existing IPv4 space 9.2.2. Account holders without existing IPv4 space 9.3. Subsequent IPv6 allocations 9.3.1. Existing IPv6 address space holders 9.3.2. Applied HD-Ratio 9.3.3. Alternative allocation criteria 9.3.4. Size of subsequent allocation 10.0. IPv6 assignments 10.1. Criteria for IPv6 Assignments 10.1.1. IPv6 for multihoming 10.1.2. IPv6 critical infrastructure 10.1.3. IPv6 for Internet Exchange Points 10.1.4. Provider Independent IPv6 assignment 10.1.4.1. Initial assignment 10.1.4.2. Subsequent assignment 11.0. Transfer of IPv6 resources 11.1. Updating registration details 11.2. Effect on membership agreement 11.3. Consequences for allocations Part 4: ASN Policy ------------------ 12.0. ASN assignments 12.1. Evaluation of eligibility 12.2. Requesting an ASN 12.3. Using ASN for own network 12.4. Providing ASN to customer 12.5. Two-byte only and four-byte AS Numbers 13.0. ASN Transfers 13.1. Transfers of IPv4 addresses between APNIC account holders 13.1.1. Conditions on resource 13.1.2. Conditions on source of the transfer 13.1.3. Conditions on recipient of the transfer 13.2. Inter-RIR ASN transfers 13.2.1. Conditions on the space to be transferred 13.2.2. Conditions on the source of the transfer 13.2.3. Conditions on the recipient of the transfer 13.3. Mergers & acquisitions 13.3.1. Updating registration details 13.3.2. Effect on membership agreement 13.3.3. Consequences for allocations Appendix A : HD-Ratio Part 1: Policy Environment -------------------------- 1.0. Introduction ----------------- The Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC) is the Regional Internet Registry (RIR) for the Asia Pacific. It is responsible for the regional distribution of public Internet address space and related resources, including Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) address space, Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) address space, and Autonomous System Numbers (ASNs). APNIC also coordinates the development and implementation of policies to manage those resources. This document outlines the overall principals and goals of Internet number resource distribution. It also details specific policies for the distribution and management of these resources in the Asia Pacific region. The policies and definitions described in this document were developed by the Internet community of the Asia Pacific region through a consensus process facilitated by APNIC. The policies are to be implemented by APNIC, by National Internet Registries (NIRs), and by Local Internet Registries (LIRs) throughout the region. 1.1. Scope ---------- This document describes policies for the responsible management of global Internet number resources in the Asia Pacific region. Specifically, this document focuses on policies relating to: - The delegation of Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) address space. - The allocation and assignment of Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) address space. - The assignment of Autonomous System Numbers (ASNs). 1.1.1. Additional guidelines and policies ----------------------------------------- This document should be read in conjunction with other APNIC documents, policies, and guidelines; including those dealing with membership and fees as these documents may provide additional operational guidance, or may impose additional requirements on resource holders. In addition to the eligibility criteria described in this document, APNIC may publish other information relating to Internet number resources, including: - further descriptions of evaluation procedures; - summaries of the best current practices that organizations requesting resources will generally be expected to adopt; and - other information that may assist organizations to request resources. This document does not provide specific details of request evaluation by APNIC, or of expectations relating to specific technologies. Such details are dependent on technological advances, and may change frequently. Therefore, to assist organizations to request address space, APNIC publishes separate guideline documents relating to specific technologies or techniques as required. These guidelines are developed within the APNIC community and will be consistent with the goals and policies described in this document. 1.1.2. Private address space ---------------------------- This document does not describe specific addressing policies related to multicast or private address space. The use of private address space may be appropriate for addressing networks where there are no technical requirements for the use of public address space. In general, private address space should be used for networks not directly connected to the Internet. 1.2. Hierarchy of resource distribution --------------------------------------- IP addresses and ASNs are distributed in accordance with the hierarchical structure initially described in RFC7020 and represented simply in fig.1. +--------+ | IANA | +--------+ | +-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+ | | | | | +--------+ +--------+ +--------+ +--------+ +--------+ | ARIN | |RIPE NCC| | APNIC | | LACNIC | | AfriNIC| +--------+ +--------+ +--------+ +--------+ +--------+ | +--------------+-------------+ | | +------+ | | NIR | | National Internet +------+ | Registries | | +------+--+------+ | | | | | Local Internet +------+ | | +------+ Registries | LIR | | | | LIR | +------+ | | +------+ | | | | +-----+ | | +-----+-----+ | | | | | | +------+ | +------+ | +------+ | Internet Service | ISP | | | ISP | | | ISP | | Providers +------+ | +------+ | +------+ | | | | | | | +----+ +----+ +----+ +----+ +----+ +----+ End-users | EU | | EU | | EU | | EU | | EU | | EU | +----+ +----+ +----+ +----+ +----+ +----+ [Figure 1: Diagram of distribution hierarchy] In this hierarchy, IANA allocates address space to APNIC, to be redistributed throughout the Asia Pacific region. APNIC allocates address space to Internet Registries (IRs) and also delegates to them the authority to make assignments and allocations. In some cases APNIC assigns address space to end users. National and Local IRs allocate and assign address space to their members and customers under the guidance of APNIC and in accordance with the relevant policies and principals described in this document. 2.0. Definitions ---------------- The following terms and definitions are used in APNIC documents. 2.1. Internet Registry (IR) --------------------------- An Internet Registry (IR) is an organization that is responsible for distributing IP address space to its Members or customers and for registering those distributions. IRs are classified according to their primary function and territorial scope within the hierarchical structure depicted in the figure above. Internet Registries include: - APNIC and other Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) - National Internet Registries (NIRs) - Local Internet Registries (LIRs). 2.1.1. Regional Internet Registry (RIR) --------------------------------------- Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) are established and authorized by their respective regional communities, and recognized by the IANA to serve and represent large geographical regions. Their primary role is to manage, distribute, and register public Internet address space within their respective region. There are five RIRs: AFRINIC, APNIC, ARIN, LACNIC, and the RIPE NCC. 2.1.2. National Internet Registry (NIR) --------------------------------------- National Internet Registries (NIRs) are established and authorized by their respective regional communities, and recognized by RIRs to delegate address space to their Members or constituents, which are generally LIRs organized at a national level. NIRs are expected to apply their policies and procedures fairly and equitably to all Members of their constituency. The policies in this document apply to NIRs; however, this document does not describe the entire roles and responsibilities of NIRs with respect to their formal relationship with APNIC. Such roles and responsibilities may be described in other documents and agreements including; - Criteria for the recognition of NIRs in the APNIC region - http://www.apnic.net/policy/nir-criteria - Operational policies for NIRs in the APNIC region - http://www.apnic.net/policy/operational-policies-nirs - APNIC and NIR Membership Relationship Agreement - http://www.apnic.net/nir-agreement 2.1.3. Local Internet Registry (LIR) ------------------------------------ A Local Internet Registry (LIR) is an IR that primarily assigns address space to the users of the network services that it provides. LIRs are generally Internet Service Providers (ISPs), and may assign address space to their own network infrastructure and to users of their network services. An LIR's customers may be other "downstream" ISPs, which further assign address space to their own customers. 2.2. Address space ------------------ In this document, address space means public unicast IP address ranges, which include IP version 4 (IPv4) and IP version 6 (IPv6). 2.2.1. Delegated address space ------------------------------ APNIC "delegates" addresses to its account holders. These delegations can be for use on the organization's own infrastructure (an "assignment") or for subsequent delegation by the organization to its customers (an "allocation"). 2.2.2. Allocated address space ------------------------------ Allocated address space is address space that is distributed to IRs or other organizations for the purpose of subsequent distribution by them. 2.2.3. Assigned address space ----------------------------- Assigned address space is address space that is delegated to an LIR, or end-user, for specific use within the Internet infrastructure they operate. Assignments must only be made for specific, documented purposes and may not be sub-assigned. 2.3. Autonomous System (AS) --------------------------- An Autonomous System (AS) is a connected group of one or more IP prefixes run by one or more network operators under a single and clearly-defined routing policy. 2.3.1. Autonomous System Number (ASN) ------------------------------------- An Autonomous System Number (ASN) is a unique two- or four-byte number associated with an AS. The ASN is used as an identifier to allow the AS to exchange dynamic routing information with other Autonomous Systems. Exterior routing protocols, such as the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), require ASNs to exchange information between networks. 2.4. Multihomed --------------- Multihoming is the practice of maintaining more than one connection to the public Internet. - A multihomed AS is one which is connected to more than one other AS. An AS also qualifies as multihomed if it is connected to a public Internet Exchange Point. - An organization is considered to be multihomed if its network receives fulltime connectivity from more than one ISP and has one or more routing prefixes announced by at least two of its ISPs. 2.5. Internet resources ----------------------- Internet resources are public IPv4 and IPv6 address numbers, Autonomous System Numbers, and reverse DNS delegations. 2.5.1. Current resources ------------------------ Current resources are Internet resources registered by APNIC under explicit policies and agreements. 2.5.2. Historical resources --------------------------- Historical resources are Internet resources registered under early registry policies without formal agreements and include: - Registrations transferred to APNIC as part of the AUNIC to APNIC migration -Some historical resource registrations have been inherited by APNIC from the former AUNIC address registry. - A list of resources transferred to APNIC as part of the migration is available on the APNIC website at: http://www.apnic.net/aunic - Registrations transferred as part of the Early Registration Transfer (ERX) project - Most historical registrations were initially made by the global registries that predated ARIN, such as DDN-NIC, SRI-NIC, and InterNIC. ARIN inherited these registrations automatically when it was established. Historical registrations made to organizations in the APNIC region were transferred to APNIC during 2003 and 2004 as part of the RIRs' Early Registration Transfer (ERX) project. - A list of resources transferred to APNIC as part of the ERX project is available at: http://www.apnic.net/erx - Historical APNIC resources - Historical APNIC resources were delegated to organizations by APNIC prior to the introduction of a Membership structure. These resources have always been registered in the APNIC Whois Database, but if the resource holder did not become an APNIC Member at any time after the introduction of the Membership structure, the resources were not made subject to current APNIC policies. 2.6. Internet Exchange Point (IXP) ---------------------------------- An Internet Exchange Point (IX or IXP) is a layer 1 and layer 2 network structure that interconnects three or more Autonomous Systems (AS) for the purpose of Internet traffic interchange. 2.7. Usage rate --------------- In IPv4 policy, usage rate is the rate at which the LIR made delegations from relevant past address space, including Historical delegations. 2.8. Utilization ---------------- Similar to usage rate in IPv4 policy, utilization is a measure of address usage in IPv6 policy. The actual usage within each assignment will be quite low, when compared to IPv4 assignments, because in IPv6 policy "utilization" is only measured in terms of the bits to the left of the /56 boundary. In other words, utilization refers to the assignment of /56s to end sites, and not the number of addresses assigned within individual /56s at those end sites. Throughout this document, the term utilization refers to the allocation of /56s to end sites, and not the number of addresses assigned within individual /56s within those end sites. 2.8.1. HD-Ratio --------------- The HD-Ratio is a way of measuring the efficiency of address assignment [RFC 3194]. It is an adaptation of the H-Ratio originally defined in [RFC1715] and is expressed as follows: Log (number of allocated objects) HD = ------------------------------------- Log (maximum number of allocatable objects) where (in the case of this document) the objects are IPv6 site addresses (/56s) assigned from an IPv6 prefix of a given size. 2.9. End site ------------- An end site is defined as an end-user (subscriber) who has a business relationship with a service provider that involves: - that service provider assigning address space to the end-user - that service provider providing transit service for the end-user to other sites - that service provider carrying the end-user's traffic - that service provider advertising an aggregate prefix route that contains the end-user's assignment 2.10. aut-num object -------------------- An aut-num object is an object in the Whois database used to register ASN assignment details. For the purposes of this document, aut-num object also refers to the ASN registration objects in NIR databases. 2.11. Routing policy -------------------- The routing policy of an AS is a description of how network prefixes are exchanged between that AS and other Autonomous Systems. 2.12. Transfers --------------- Resource transfers involve the re-allocation of current address blocks (or ASNs), or the re-allocation of historical resources claimed and transferred to an APNIC account. 2.12.1. Counterpart RIR ----------------------- A counterpart RIR is the Regional Internet Registry that APNIC transfers resources to, or from, in an inter-RIR transfer. 2.12.2. Source -------------- The source in a resource transfer is the organization which, prior to the transfer, is the legitimate holder of the resources to be transferred. Where the source is in the APNIC region, the source must be a current APNIC account holder, except in the case of an Historical resource transfer. Where the source is from another RIR region, it must be that RIR's equivalent to the "Source" as defined here. 2.12.3. Recipient ----------------- The recipient in a resource transfer is the organization which, after the transfer is completed, will be the legitimate holder of the resources to be transferred. Where the recipient is in the APNIC region, the recipient must be a current APNIC account holder. Where the recipient is from another RIR region, it must be that RIR's equivalent to the "Recipient" as defined here. 3.0. Policy framework --------------------- IP address space and other number resources, are public resources which must be managed in a prudent manner with regards to the long-term interests of the Internet. Responsible management involves balancing a set of sometimes competing goals. The following are the goals relevant to Internet number policy. 3.1. Goals of resource management --------------------------------- The goals described here were formulated by the Internet community and reflect the mutual interest of all members of that community in ensuring that the Internet is able to function and grow to the maximum extent possible. It is APNIC's primary duty, as a custodian of a public resource, to ensure these goals are met within the Asia Pacific region. APNIC does this by providing guidance and leadership in developing and implementing responsible policies and practices. It is the responsibility of every NIR and LIR to also ensure these goals are met within their respective regions and communities. 3.1.1. Uniqueness ----------------- Every assignment and allocation of address space must be guaranteed as globally unique. This is an absolute requirement for ensuring that every public host on the Internet can be uniquely identified. 3.1.2. Registration ------------------- All assignments and allocations made directly by APNIC to its Members and customers must be registered in a publicly accessible database. This is necessary to ensure uniqueness and to provide information for Internet troubleshooting at all levels, ranging from all RIRs and IRs to end-users. It also reflects the expectation of the Internet community that custodians of these public resources should be identifiable. The goal of registration should be applied within the context of reasonable privacy considerations and applicable laws. Organizations that receive an allocation from APNIC can choose whether or not their customer assignment registrations should be publicly available. If the organization does not indicate a choice, or it chooses to hide its customer assignment registrations, then those records will not be visible in the public whois database. Whois queries on these records will return details of the allocation. 3.1.3. Aggregation ------------------ Address policies should seek to avoid fragmentation of address ranges. Wherever possible, address space should be distributed in a hierarchical manner, according to the topology of network infrastructure. This is necessary to permit the aggregation of routing information by network operators, and to limit the expansion of Internet routing tables. This goal is particularly important in IPv6 addressing, where the size of the total address pool creates significant implications for both internal and external routing. It is a condition of all delegations made under initial or subsequent LIR delegation criteria, that the address space is aggregated by the LIR within a minimum number of route announcements (preferably one). LIRs must only delegate addresses to customers who will be using those addresses in relation to network connectivity services provided by the LIR. LIRs are expected to enter into agreements with their customers specifying that the end-user will hold the addresses only for so long as the end-user remains a customer of that LIR. Such agreements should also be consistent with the license under which the address space is being used by the LIR. 3.1.4. No guarantee of contiguous delegations --------------------------------------------- RIRs should apply practices that maximize the potential for subsequent allocations to be made contiguous with past allocations currently held. However, there can be no guarantee of contiguous allocation. APNIC will attempt to make any subsequent delegations contiguous with previous delegations, but cannot guarantee that this will be possible. 3.1.5. Conservation ------------------- To maximize the lifetime of the available resource, address space must be distributed according to actual need and for immediate use. Stockpiling address space and maintaining reservations are contrary to this goal. Conservation also implies efficiency. Therefore, all users of address space should adopt techniques such as Variable Length Subnet Masking (VLSM) and appropriate technologies that ensure the address space is not used wastefully. Although IPv6 provides an extremely large pool of address space, address policies should avoid unnecessarily wasteful practices. Requests for address space should be supported by appropriate documentation and stockpiling of unused IPv6 addresses should also be avoided. 3.1.6. Fairness --------------- All policies and practices relating to the use of public address space should apply fairly and equitably to all existing and potential members of the Internet community, regardless of their location, nationality, size, or any other factor. 3.1.7. Minimized Overhead ------------------------- It is desirable to minimize the overhead associated with obtaining address space. Overhead includes the need to go back to RIRs for additional space too frequently. There is overhead associated with managing address space that grows through a number of small successive incremental expansions rather than through fewer, but larger, expansions. 3.1.8. Conflict of goals ------------------------ The goals described above will often conflict with each other, or with the needs of individual IRs or end-users. All IRs evaluating requests for address space must make judgments, seeking to balance the needs of the applicant with the needs of the Internet community as a whole. This document is intended to help IRs perform their role in consistent and equitable ways. IRs must maintain full documentation of and transparency within the decision-making process. In IPv6 address policy, the goal of aggregation is considered to be the most important. 3.2. Policy Environment ----------------------- Apart from the goals described above, other factors influence the APNIC policy environment. These other factors include the expectations of the Internet community, current administrative structures, and technological constraints. The policy environment may change quickly or in unpredictable ways, so APNIC, on behalf of its Members, must monitor any changes and communicate any policy implications. This section describes the factors in the current operating environment that have been most important in determining current APNIC policies. 3.2.1. Routability ------------------ There is no guarantee that any address allocation or assignment will be globally routable. The routability of address space throughout the Internet can never be guaranteed by any single organization. However, IRs must apply procedures that reduce the possibility of fragmented address space which may lead to a loss of routability. To reduce the number of globally advertised routes, network operators may implement route filtering policies based on prefix length. As a result, small portable assignments are the most likely to suffer routability problems. Therefore, APNIC policies encourage those seeking address space to request from upstream providers rather than from APNIC directly. The responsible management of ASNs is also necessary to help limit the expansion of global routing tables. Aggregating contiguous IP address prefixes within single Autonomous Systems helps to minimize the number of routes announced to the global Internet. 3.2.2. Internet growth rates ---------------------------- Early strategies for distributing address space did not anticipate the rapid growth of the Internet and the scaling problems that followed, affecting both the amount of address space available and routing. Therefore, APNIC policies take account of past experience and seek to manage address space in a way that will maximize future scaling of the Internet. 3.2.3. Collective responsibility -------------------------------- APNIC shares with its Members and their customers a collective responsibility to ensure manageable and scalable Internet growth and to make decisions consistent with the goals described here. Therefore, APNIC policies and procedures are developed by APNIC Members and the broader Internet community as a whole, in the common interest of those communities. In implementing policies, APNIC and its Members rely on an implicit trust that delegated responsibilities are carried out in good faith. Specifically, APNIC must trust that the information gathered from Members during the request process is genuine and accurate. 3.2.4. Impartiality ------------------- APNIC represents the interests of the Internet community in general and the Internet community of the Asia Pacific region in particular. Therefore, APNIC must apply its policies fairly and equitably, without regard to an organization's size, geographic location, or any other factor. 3.2.5. Varying levels of expertise ---------------------------------- Different IRs and end-users have varying levels of experience and expertise. APNIC policies allow for varying levels of assistance and monitoring, appropriate to ensure a consistent approach to address space management throughout the Asia Pacific Internet community. 3.2.6. Address ownership ------------------------ The Internet community regards address space as a scarce, public resource that should only be distributed according to demonstrated need. ISPs and other organizations and individuals that use address space are considered "custodians" rather than "owners" of the resource. As address space becomes more scarce, address space management policies may be adjusted by the community. 3.2.7. Address stockpiling -------------------------- Stockpiling addresses is harmful to the goals of conservation and fairness. APNIC policies must prevent stockpiling and ensure efficient deployment of address space on the basis of immediate demonstrated need. 3.2.8. Reservations not supported --------------------------------- When an LIR wants to delegate address space for customers, it must use any address space it currently holds. When evaluating address requests, reserved address space is not considered to be delegated. 3.2.9. Evaluations to be based on best practice ----------------------------------------------- APNIC should ensure that address space holders adopt current best practice in the management of the resources they use. If appropriate technologies exist for improved management of address space in particular situations, the community expects that those technologies should be used. APNIC consults with its Members and the broader Internet community to define and develop current best practice recommendations relating to Internet addressing technologies and techniques. 3.2.10. Minimum practical delegation ------------------------------------ Because the goals of aggregation and conservation conflict, it is necessary to apply a minimum practical size for address space delegation. This minimum size may be reviewed from time to time, as technologies and administrative conditions evolve. 3.2.11. Slow start mechanism ---------------------------- APNIC and NIRs apply a slow start mechanism to all new LIRs. The slow start is applied to prevent delegations of large blocks of address space that may then remain substantially unused. 3.2.11.1. Exceptions to slow start ---------------------------------- In exceptional circumstances, an LIR may receive a greater initial delegation if it can demonstrate that its immediate need for address space exceeds the standard slow start delegation. The documentation required to justify an exception to the slow start may include (but is not limited to): - Receipts for the purchase of equipment, Purchase Orders, or - Signed project contracts indicating the immediate network requirements to be met by the LIR. 3.3. Organizations seeking address space from multiple IRs ---------------------------------------------------------- Organizations must obtain their address space from only one IR at a time. Organizations requesting address space from any IR must declare all the address space they currently hold, regardless of the source. Organizations making concurrent requests to more than one IR must declare the details of all of those requests. In certain circumstances (for example, where an organization is multihomed), strong technical reasons may justify an organization receiving address space from more than one source. For the purposes of this section, a parent organization and its subsidiaries are considered to be a single organization. Exceptions may arise in cases where the parts of the organization: - Are separate legal entities, - Maintain fully independent network infrastructures and are routed under different ASNs, or - Can otherwise demonstrate a justified need to obtain address space from more than one IR. 4.0. Resource License --------------------- It is contrary to the goals of this document and is not in the interests of the Internet community as a whole, for Internet number resources to be considered freehold property. Internet resources are regarded as public resources that should only be distributed according to demonstrated need. The policies in this document are based upon the understanding that globally-unique unicast address space is licensed for use rather than owned. Neither delegation nor registration confers ownership of resources. Organizations that use them are considered "custodians" rather than "owners" of the resource, and are not entitled to sell or otherwise transfer that resource to other parties outside the provisions in this document. Specifically, IP addresses and AS numbers will be allocated and assigned on a license basis, with licenses subject to renewal on a periodic basis. The conditions of all licenses are described in the APNIC membership agreements, service agreements, and other relevant APNIC documents. 4.1. License Renewal --------------------- APNIC will delegate Internet resources on a 'license' basis, with such licenses to be of specific limited duration (normally one year). The granting of a license is subject to specific conditions applied at the start or renewal of the license. IRs will generally renew licenses automatically, provided requesting organizations are making a good-faith effort at meeting the criteria under which they qualified for or were granted an allocation or assignment. Licenses to organizations shall be renewable on the following conditions: - The original basis of the delegation remains valid, and - That address space is properly registered at the time of renewal. 4.1.1. Review ------------- In those cases where a requesting organization is not using the address space as intended, or is showing bad faith in following through on the associated obligation, IRs reserve the right to not renew the license. However, individual licenses shall only be subject to review if the relevant IR has reason to believe that the existing license terms are no longer being complied with. IRs may implement their own procedures for the review of existing licenses as they see fit. Note that when a license is renewed, the new license will be evaluated under and governed by the applicable policies in place at the time of renewal, which may differ from the policy in place at the time of the original allocation or assignment. When a license is renewed, the new license will be subject to all policies and license conditions effective at the time of renewal, provided that a minimum notice period of one year is given of any substantial changes to the conditions of the current license. All substantial changes to license conditions are subject to the consensus of APNIC Members, in accordance with the APNIC Document Editorial Policy. 4.1.2. Validity of delegations ------------------------------ An allocation or assignment of address space is valid only while the original criteria on which the allocation or assignment was based continue to be valid. An allocation or assignment becomes invalid if it is: - Made for a specific purpose that no longer exists, or - Based on information that is later found to be false or incomplete. If an allocation or assignment becomes invalid then the address space must be returned to the appropriate IR. It is a condition of ASN assignment that if an ASN is not being used by the organization that originally received it, then the ASN should be returned, or transferred under the terms described in this document. 4.2. Closure and recovery ------------------------- If an LIR holding APNIC address space ceases to provide Internet connectivity services, all of its address space must be returned to APNIC. It is the responsibility of the LIR (or any liquidator or administrator appointed to wind up the Member's business) to advise all of its customers that address space will be returned to APNIC, and that renumbering into new address space will be necessary. In the case that a new LIR takes over the business or infrastructure of the closed LIR, the existing address space may be transferred to the new LIR, however such a transfer is subject to re-examination by APNIC and may be treated as a new address request process. 4.2.1. Recovery of unused historical address space -------------------------------------------------- A significant amount of historical address space registered in the APNIC Whois Database is not announced to the global routing table. To recover these globally unrouted resources and place them back in the free pool for reallocation to other networks, APNIC will contact networks responsible for Historical address space in the APNIC region that has not been globally routed since 1 January 1998. 4.2.2. Recovery of unused historical ASNs ----------------------------------------- A significant amount of historical Autonomous System (AS) numbers registered in the APNIC Whois Database are not announced to the global routing table. To recover these globally unrouted resources and place them back in the free pool for reassignment to other networks, APNIC will contact networks responsible for historical address space in the APNIC region that has not been globally used for a reasonable period of time. 5.0. Resource Management ------------------------ All NIRs and LIRs that receive address space from APNIC (either directly or indirectly) must adopt delegation policies that are consistent with the policies described in this document. NIRs and LIRs must ensure that address space for which they are responsible is only allocated or assigned subject to agreements consistent with the license provisions in this document. Also, NIRs must, wherever possible, apply slow start, assignment window, and second opinion policies to their own members in a manner consistent with the way APNIC applies such policies. 5.1. How APNIC manages address space ------------------------------------ 5.1.1. Reservation for future uses ---------------------------------- A /16 of IPv4 address space will be held in reserve for future uses, as yet unforeseen. If the reserved /16 remains unused by the time the remaining available space has been delegated, the /16 will be returned to the APNIC pool for distribution under the policies described in this document. 5.1.2. Sparse allocation framework ---------------------------------- APNIC will document the sparse allocation algorithm framework used to select IPv6 address blocks for delegation, in document apnic-114: APNIC guidelines for IPv6 allocation and assignment requests. This document is available at the following URL: http://www.apnic.net/ipv6-guidelines 5.1.3. IPv4 addresses returned to APNIC --------------------------------------- Any IPv4 resources received by APNIC will be placed into the APNIC IPv4 pool for delegation under the policies described in this document. This placement applies to any IPv4 addresses APNIC receives from IANA and/or holders of addresses in the APNIC Whois Database, subject to any future global policy for the redistribution of addresses received by IANA from the RIRs. 5.2. LIR address space management --------------------------------- LIRs may delegate address space to their customers subject to the following provisions. 5.2.1. Assignment window for LIRs --------------------------------- APNIC and NIRs shall apply an assignment window mechanism to help LIRs understand and comply with APNIC policies and the address management goals. The assignment window indicates the maximum number of addresses an LIR may delegate to an end-user without first seeking a "second opinion". If an LIR wishes to make a delegation that exceeds its delegation window, the LIR must first submit a second opinion request. LIRs start with a delegation window of zero, meaning all proposed delegations must first be approved. APNIC, or the relevant NIR, will regularly assess the proficiency of LIR staff in making delegations and seeking second opinions and will review the size of the assignment window accordingly. As the LIR staff become more proficient, the size of their assignment window may be raised. The maximum IPv4 assignment window given to any LIR will be a /19 (8,192 addresses). If an LIR's staff appears to become less proficient (for example, due to the training of new staff or other relevant circumstances) then that LIR's assignment window may be temporarily reduced. 5.2.2. IPv4 address usage estimates ----------------------------------- Requests for delegations must be supported by usage estimates based on immediate and projected future need. These requests must be accompanied by documentation that supports the estimates. The estimates should be made for the following periods: - Immediately, - Within one year, and - Within two years APNIC recommends that, as a general guideline, organizations should base their resource requests on the assumption that 25% of the address space will be used immediately and 50% will be used within one year. The end-user must provide documentation that supports its one-year usage estimate. If it is not possible for the end-user to estimate confidently what the two-year usage rate will be, then APNIC or the NIR may make a delegation that will be sufficient for the one-year needs only. 5.2.3. IPv4 Delegations to downstream IRs ----------------------------------------- LIRs may delegate address space to their downstream customers, which are operating networks, such as ISPs, subject to the following conditions: - Delegations are non-portable and must be returned to the LIR if the downstream customer ceases to receive connectivity from the LIR. - Delegations are subject to the LIR's assignment window. Requests for delegations, which exceed the LIR's assignment window, must first be referred to APNIC for second opinion approval. - The downstream customer is not permitted to further allocate the address space. 5.2.3.1. Effect of delegation to downstream IRs on upstream LIR's usage rate ------------------------------------------------------------ For the purposes of evaluating the LIR's usage rate, address space delegated to downstream LIRs will be considered as "used". However, APNIC will give careful consideration to the registration of delegations made by the downstream LIR to their customers and may request supporting documentation as necessary. 5.2.4. Policies for LIR IPv6 allocation and assignment ------------------------------------------------------ 5.2.4.1. LIR-to-ISP allocation ------------------------------ There is no specific policy for an organization (LIR) to allocate address space to subordinate ISPs. Each LIR organization may develop its own policy for subordinate ISPs to encourage optimum utilization of the total address block allocated to the LIR. However, all /48 assignments to end sites are required to be registered either by the LIR or its subordinate ISPs in such a way that the RIR/NIR can properly evaluate the HD-Ratio when a subsequent allocation becomes necessary. 5.2.4.2. Assignment address space size -------------------------------------- LIRs must make IPv6 assignments in accordance with the following provisions. End-users are assigned an end site assignment from their LIR or ISP. The exact size of the assignment is a local decision for the LIR or ISP to make, using a minimum value of a /64 (when only one subnet is anticipated for the end site) up to the normal maximum of /48, except in cases of extra large end sites where a larger assignment can be justified. RIRs/NIRs are not concerned about which address size an LIR/ISP actually assigns. Accordingly, RIRs/NIRs will not request the detailed information on IPv6 user networks as they do in IPv4, except for the cases described in Section 9.2.1. and for the purposes of measuring utilization as defined in this document. 5.2.4.3. Assignment of multiple /48s to a single end site --------------------------------------------------------- When a single end site requires an additional /48 address block, it must request the assignment with documentation or materials that justify the request. Requests for multiple or additional /48s will be processed and reviewed (i.e., evaluation of justification) at the RIR/NIR level. Note: There is no experience at the present time with the assignment of multiple /48s to the same end site. Having the RIR review all such assignments is intended to be a temporary measure until some experience has been gained and some common policies can be developed. In addition, additional work at defining policies in this space will likely be carried out in the near future. 5.2.4.4. Assignment to operator's infrastructure ------------------------------------------------ An organization (ISP/LIR) may assign a /48 per PoP as the service infrastructure of an IPv6 service operator. Each assignment to a PoP is regarded as one assignment regardless of the number of users using the PoP. A separate assignment can be obtained for the in-house operations of the operator. 5.3. Registration requirements ------------------------------ 5.3.1. Registration requirements for IPv4 addresses --------------------------------------------------- IRs are responsible for promptly and accurately registering their address space use with APNIC as follows: