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Re: Operational Issues with 69.0.0.0/8...

  • From: bmanning
  • Date: Tue Dec 10 06:22:14 2002 
> > > Sean Donelan, May 14 1998 (three employers ago, so this should not be
> > > taken as representing the official position any of my past, present or
> > > future employers)
> 
> >                Yakhov, Elise, Mark, and Bill - 1994 as part of the RA
> >                project, bringers of the RAdb.
> 
> This gets to the heart of the matter. It is now 8 years later and RADB is 
> not catching on. But during the same time period some other UMich people 
> worked on a more general purpose directory service called LDAP and that 
> one is catching on. LDAP technology can be made to do the job that we need 
> done and instead of having to create tools from scratch we can leverage a 
> lot of commercial tools to deal with the core functions.
> 
> --Michael Dillon


	The implementation (RAdb/RPSL/IRR/LDAP/SWIP/rwhois) is, to 
	a large degree, immaterial.  The idea of publishing the 
	IANA/RIR/ISP reserved pool in a tagged format that is machine
	parsable is the key.  That we are unable to get to that point
	is telling.  
	
	Its fairly easy to identify the IANA reserved /8 blocks.
	Its harder to identify the RIR reserved space (space delegated
	to RIRs that is not yet delegated to downstreams).
	Harder yet, identifying ISP reserved space (space delegated to
	ISPs that is not yet delegated to downstreams/endsystems).

	You should ask yourself, why is it important at one level and
	not important elsewhere?  If you want a comprehensive map of 
	IP space not in active use, then make the compelling case
	for it and build the tools that are so easy to use, everyone
	will adopt them.

	I've not seen a compelling case for just the IANA and not the 
	RIRs or just the IANA and RIRs but not the ISPs.  I've seen
	a compelling case for -EVERYONE- to participate in tracking
	IP space in use, but the tools that cover the range of useage
	are jsut not here.  LDAP is not the cureall. Its a tool and 
	some folks can make it work.  Its too much overhead for most
	folks and for some parts of the delegation heirarchy.

	Now we could have the debate on -WHY- ldap/whois is considered
	so important.  The applications use things like DNS mappings and
	routing announcements. These are critical for network operations.
	ldap/whois are not.

--bill