SWIP Inquiries

[ginny listman]

On Tue, 24 Sep 2002, John Brzozowski wrote:

> I have a couple of questions related to SWIP Reporting and was wondering if
> someone could help clarify.
>
> 1) It seems that the Reallocate and Reassign - Details templates are similar
> but clearly not identical.  What exactly is the difference between the two?
> Also, if an allocation is performed using one of the above what template is
> used to (de/re)allocate or free the allocation space?  I am assuming
> Reassign - Simple since neither Reallocate and Reassign - Detail have a
> "Registration Action" parameter.  Is this a bad assumption?

If you remove the embedded instructions, the only difference between the
two templates is the header. The reason ARIN went with two different
templates is that there were a large number of requests to change a
reassign to a reallocate from the old template.

A reallocate template is used by an upstream ISP to allocate addresses
to a downstream ISP customer, who in turn can allocate or assign
addresses to their downstream customer.

A reassign detailed template is used by an upstream ISP to assign IP
addresses to a downstream customer for use in their own network, and who
wishes to either maintain their own POCs or in-addr servers on their
reassigned IP space.

To remove a Reassign-Detailed or Reallocate you should use the Netmod
template. The Reassign-Simple can only be used to remove simple
reassignments, i.e. those without POC or inaddr name servers associated
with them. Note that you can use either Netmod or Reassign-Simple
to remove simple reassign networks.

>
> 2) Reallocate, Reassign - Simple, and Reassign - Details appear to be
> versioned.  Can it be assumed that this was done in anticipation of future
> versions with changes that correspond to the same?  What level of backward
> compatibility will there be with subsequent versions of these templates?
> For example, if a 3.0 template is used to perform an allocation today what
> template can or should be used to (de/re)allocate at some point in the
> future when version a later version of the templates are available?  Will
> the original template version be required or will most recent version be
> accepted as well?
>

We will use the version number for version control. If we release a new
version, the latest version is preferred for all templates. However, we
realize that many people have automated scripts and do not download the
latest versions from the ftp site on a regular basis. As long as there
isn't a drastic change to the templates, older versions will continue to
be accepted.

Ginny Listman
Director of Engineering
ARIN