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prop-164-v001: Allocations of IPv6 Resources longer than a /32 with a nibble boundary alignment

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Proposers:
Christopher Hawker (chris@thesysadmin.au)
Luke Thompson (luke.t@tnc.works)


1. Problem statement
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Currently, if a member receives an assignment longer than a /32 (e.g. a /36), they cannot make sub-assignments to their customers or internal areas within their organisation and maintain accurate records of longer prefixes regarding these sub-assignments within Whois/RDAP. If they want to properly document sub-assignments and update Whois, they are required to request a /32 - which may be in excess of their operational requirements and lead to underutilised address space. Maintaining accurate records is critical to ensure the stable and secure management of Internet Number Resources.

2. Objective of policy change
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This policy change will reduce the minimum allocation size from a /32 prefix to a /36 prefix. This is to reduce the minimum amount of resources which a member has to apply for, which in turn reduces the allocation of resources which are unnecessary and allows them to maintain more accurate Whois/RDAP records.

3. Situation in other regions
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- ARIN already allows for /36 and /40 prefix delegations under section 6.5.2.1 of their Number Resource Policy Manual.
- LACNIC, RIPE NCC and AFRINIC policies all still list /32 as the minimum allocation size.

4. Proposed policy solution
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Update "APNIC-127 APNIC Internet Number Resource Policies" per the below:

- 2.1.3 Assigned address space
Replace the current text with: "Assigned address space is address space that is delegated to an LIR for use within their own network or that of their direct downstream customer's network, or end-user for exclusive use within the Internet infrastructure they operate."

- 5.2.3.1 LIR-to-ISP allocation
Append the current text with: "When an LIR makes an allocation to an ISP, they must update the Whois database with the relevant allocation details."

- 8.1 Minimum IPv6 allocation
Replace the first line with: "The minimum allocation size for IPv6 address space is /36."

- 8.2.1 Account holders with existing IPv4 space
Replace "An account holder that has an IPv4 allocation is eligible for a /32 IPv6 address block" with "An account holder that has an IPv4 allocation is eligible for a /36 IPv6 address block".

5. Advantages / Disadvantages
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Advantages:
- This would allow members to maintain more accurate records for longer prefixes from a delegation within the Whois database.
- Allowing for longer allocations would help prevent the unnecessary delegation of shorter ones, so that members can request allocations that better align with their addressing requirements.

Disadvantages:
- This may lead to the announcement of additional routes into the global routing table, however, networks already announce routes up to and including /48 so this disadvantage is expected to be minimal (if a disadvantage at all).

6. Impact on resource holders
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No known impacts to resource holders.

7. References
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https://www.apnic.net/community/policy/resources#a_h_2_2_3
https://www.apnic.net/community/policy/resources#a_h_5_2_3_1
https://www.apnic.net/community/policy/resources#a_h_8_1
https://www.apnic.net/community/policy/resources#a_h_8_2_1
https://www.arin.net/participate/policy/nrpm/#6-5-2-1-size