RIPE IPv6 Leasing Guidelines

We provision your prefix based on its size:

• A /48 is set to ASSIGNED. It is ready to use as a single network.
• A prefix larger than a /48 is set to ALLOCATED-BY-LIR, since a block that size is normally divided into smaller pieces rather than used as one network.

If you need us to set your leased prefix to a different status, open a ticket and let us know.

If you leased a prefix larger than a /48, you most likely plan to divide it among different organizations or across multiple End Sites. As you do, register each block by how it is used:

• A block used by a single network, not divided further, is ASSIGNED. These are normally a /48, since a /48 already holds 65,536 subnets (a subnet is a /64), enough for even a large single network. If a single site genuinely needs more than that and you register a block larger than a /48 as ASSIGNED, keep documentation of that need on hand, since it may be requested during an audit.
• A block you split further into smaller blocks is ALLOCATED-BY-LIR, with those smaller blocks registered inside it. Setting a /48 or smaller to ALLOCATED-BY-LIR is usually not worthwhile, since BGP announcements are generally filtered for anything longer than a /48, so registrations at that level mostly serve as internal records rather than something routed. If you do need to record the assignments within a /48 in the RIPE Database, consider setting that /48 to AGGREGATED-BY-LIR instead.
• A batch of blocks that are all the same size and share the same purpose and contacts can be covered by a single AGGREGATED-BY-LIR object, with the assignment-size attribute set to that size. You do not register each assignment inside it individually, but you should keep your own records of the actual assignments, their number and size, so the real usage can be shown if requested during an audit.

Each prefix has an abuse contact through its abuse-c, which by default is the abuse-c of its organization. The abuse-mailbox on that contact must be a real, working mailbox that can send and receive email, so that reports reach you.

Your records should match what is actually deployed. Registrations that misrepresent how the space is used are not allowed.

We may review leased prefixes, and they may also come up during a RIPE NCC audit. If a record is found to be inaccurate, you will need to work with us to correct it. Inaccurate or non-compliant registrations put the continued provision of the service at risk.