--------------------------------------------------------------- prop-156-v002: Assignment of Temporary IP Resources ---------------------------------------------------------------- Proposer: Christopher Hawker (chris@thesysadmin.au) 1. Problem statement ------------------------- At the moment, APNIC does not currently have any policies or mechanisms in place for the temporary assignment of IP resources with the exception of experimental space, see Section 5.7 of APNIC-127: APNIC Internet Number Resource Policies. This means that those who require resources for temporary purposes (such as conferences and exhibitions) must use existing delegations under other policies, which may not be in line with justification provided when the resources were initially delegated. 2. Objective of policy change ---------------------------------- The objective of this policy change is to allow for the reservation of a /21 IPv4 prefix as well as a /29 IPv6 prefix and 8 Autonomous System numbers, and for temporary assignments to be made from this reserved space for purposes such as conferences and any other purpose where a long-term assignment would not be feasible and APNIC deems appropriate. 3. Situation in other regions -------------------------------- RIPE NCC: RIPE-801 allows for space to be assigned on a temporary basis, such as academic research, conferences, and other purposes as RIPE NCC deems appropriate for a specified timeframe. ARIN: ARIN does not have a policy which permits or prohibits temporary assignments. LACNIC: LACNIC does not have a policy which permits or prohibits temporary assignments. AFRINIC: Under section 9 of their Consolidated Policy Manual titled "Temporary Resource Allocations & Assignments", they allow for temporary assignments to be made for conferences, exhibitions, conventions, and other similar purposes 4. Proposed policy solution -------------------------------- 5.8 Temporary Assignments Policy 5.8.1 Introduction Across the Asia-Pacific region, there are a large number of conferences that take place for the benefit of the wider internet community, such as Network Operator Group meetings and other operational events. There may also be requirements where a temporary assignment may be necessary where a long-term assignment exceeding 6 months may not be feasible. 5.8.1.1 Scope and Goal This section describes the policies for the temporary assignment of IPv4 address space, IPv6 address space, as well as Autonomous System numbers for temporary short-term use periods not exceeding 6 months. The goal of this policy is to provide a way for organisations to access resources on a temporary basis, for the benefit of an organisation's members and the wider internet community as a whole. 5.8.2 Assignments for Temporary Purposes APNIC will reserve a /21 IPv4 prefix as well as a /29 IPv6 prefix and 8 Autonomous System Numbers to allow for assignments to be made under this policy. APNIC will then assign IP resources to an organisation or body for temporary purposes from this reserved pool. These purposes may include a conference, workshop, special interest group meetings and other purposes as APNIC deems appropriate where a long-term assignment may not be feasible. An assignment may be made if it is for one of the stated purposes below, or otherwise deemed a suitable purpose by APNIC. A temporary assignment can be made if one of the criteria set out in 5.8.2.1 to 5.8.2.3 is met, or if APNIC makes a determination under 5.8.2.4 in favour of the applicant. As resources assigned under this policy are exempt from standard quarantine practices (see 5.8.7), the member accepts that resources assigned under this policy may not be fully routable. 5.8.2.1 Conferences Conferences that are held for the purposes of policy development, education, sharing of information and research as well as professional networking. The applicant must provide a draft program no later than 6 weeks from the commencement of the conference as well as justification for the assignment. 5.8.2.2 Workshops Workshops which are held to discuss certain topics or key issues within the internet community. Under this criterion, the applicant must demonstrate why a temporary assignment is required, by providing information on how the temporary assignment will assist the discussion, such as technical demonstrations of certain issues being discussed. 5.8.2.3 Special Interest Group (SIG) meetings SIG meetings that are held to discuss certain areas of interest within the internet community. If applying for a temporary assignment for a SIG meeting, the applicant must demonstrate why an assignment is needed, by providing an agenda and explaining how the assignment will assist in a technical capacity with the meeting's agenda. 5.8.2.4 Other Special Purposes If the applicant is applying for a temporary assignment with justification that does not fall under one of the above purposes, they may make a "Special Purpose" application to APNIC for such an assignment. APNIC will review all material presented in support of the application and make a determination as to what size assignments are required, and the timeframe for which they are to be assigned. 5.8.3 Temporary Assignments 5.8.3.1 Assignment Sizes In most cases, no greater than a /24 IPv4 prefix, a /32 IPv6 prefix and a single AS Number will be provided unless the applicant can demonstrate a need for greater assignments. 5.8.3.2 Credit for Assignment When an assignment is made under this policy, the applicant must credit APNIC for the assignment. 5.8.3.3 Assignment Time Period APNIC in its sole discretion based on justification provided and taking into consideration the amount of time required to establish infrastructure for the event, will make a determination as to the time period for which an assignment will be made. If the applicant deems this time period to not be sufficient, they may make a request to APNIC to extend the assignment time period with justification as to why a longer period is required. 5.8.4 Registration Any assignments made will be registered in the APNIC Whois Database. The details pertaining to the assignment will be made available in the database. 5.8.5 Restrictions The applicant must not use the assignment for any purpose which is commercial in nature. If a determination is made that the usage is for a commercial purpose, then APNIC will have grounds to recover the assigned resources. Examples of what is considered a commercial purpose or commercial in nature: - Using the resources for a service which is intended to be sold for financial gain. - A for-profit entity charging a fee to attend a conference, where the intent of the conference is to promote and/or advertise proprietary services and systems. - A private education provider requiring students to pay tuition fees which result in a financial benefit for the provider. Examples of what is not a commercial purpose or not regarded as commercial in nature: - Training programs provided by a not-for-profit organisation whose purpose is to educate participants on networking systems and protocols. - Conferences held by Network Operator Groups where the overall purpose of the event is non-profit in nature. - Special Interest Groups which hold meetings and technical workshops to discuss functions, systems and protocols that are designed to benefit the community as a whole. 5.8.6 Fees for Temporary Assignments Temporary assignments can only be made to APNIC account holders. If an applicant is not an APNIC member, they are permitted to nominate a member who can act on their behalf for the technical requirements related to the temporary assignment otherwise they are able to become a member themself by becoming an Associate member. Assignments made under this policy do not count towards a member's membership tier. 5.8.7 Return of Resources Resources must be returned to APNIC before the end date of the temporary assignment. Once returned, they are exempt from the normal quarantine processes for returned resources and are immediately available for further assignments. 5.8.8 Unavailability of IP Resources If a member submits a request for resources however it is not possible to fulfill the request due to the unavailability of resources for the requested period, the Secretariat may decline the request. 5. Advantages / Disadvantages ------------------------------------ Advantages: This proposal will provide an avenue for members to be temporarily assigned resources should they not have any resources which they are able to use. Disadvantages: There are none known disadvantages, other than the reduction of the available IPv4 pool by a /21 to allow for assignments under this policy proposal. 6. Impact on resource holders ----------------------------------- This would have a negligible impact on resource holders (if any) when temporary resources are announced, due to the addition of routes to the global routing table. 7. References ---------------- Temporary Resource Allocations & Assignments (AFRINIC) https://afrinic.net/policy/manual#Temporary-Resource-Allocation Temporary Internet Number Assignment Policies (RIPE NCC) https://www.ripe.net/publications/docs/ripe-801