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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=754365819-12052008>In my experience ARIN does not care about the accuracy
of the SWIP/RWHOIS info when assessing a member for additional IP address
blocks. Instead, they are happy to accept detailed data from the member's IP
address database.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=754365819-12052008></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=754365819-12052008>I think there are a number of reasons for this.
</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=754365819-12052008></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=754365819-12052008>1. They realize that SWIP updates could have gotten out
of sync with the ISPs internal database for any number of reasons. The internal
database is more likely to be correct.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=754365819-12052008></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=754365819-12052008>2. They realize that RWHOIS is an hack job that has
never been properly maintained or updated, and therefore it is entirely possible
that bugs in the rwhois software, or wierdness in the text files from which the
server functions, can result in a less accurate picture than the ISP's internal
database.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=754365819-12052008></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=754365819-12052008>3. They have in the past allowed some ISPs to submit
SWIP data in non-usual formats, and it is only fair to let any member do this if
they experience difficulties in dealing with the wierd non-standard SWIP and
RWHOIS formats.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=754365819-12052008></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=754365819-12052008>4. Many ISPs simply will not publish their customer
base in whois no matter what ARIN says, and some of them have privately
indicated that they are willing to go to court over this. Since ARIN only needs
this data at the time of new applications, and since ARIN operates an internal
Chinese wall so that even the head of Registration Services is not allowed to
see potentially confidential ISP data, the most efficient way to deal with this
is to simply accept confidential database dumps whenever an application is made
for additional blocks.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=754365819-12052008></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=754365819-12052008>5. The purpose and scope of the ARIN whois directory
has never been formally defined, nor was it ever formally defined by any
predecessor of ARIN after the DARPA. In the time of DARPA the purpose was to
identify all users of the ARPANet in order to justify budget allocations.
Clearly that is no longer true. In the absence of a clear purpose and scope, it
is hard to enforce any particular behavior.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=754365819-12052008></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=754365819-12052008>6. The Internet community generally seems to feel that
the whois directory is there so that when network abuse occurs, other network
operators can quickly make contact with the source of the problem. Since the
Internet has changed and it is no longer common for assignees of IP addresses to
operate a 24-hour NOC capable of responding to external requests, there is
nothing for ARIN to gain by being pedantic about this. In fact, the people with
the problem can identify the ISP who received the ARIN allocation and these
companies almost always do operate a 24 hour NOC and do have access to their
customer's contact info.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=754365819-12052008></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=754365819-12052008>7. There is a certain vigilante community that feels
the ARIN whois directory should identify users of any IP address so that the
self-appointed vigilantes can punish the perpetrators of network abuse. Since
ARIN is not the Internet government and since there is a big downside to being
seen as the government, it is to ARIN's advantage to *NOT* attempt to force ISPs
to publish full 3rd-party (customer) info in the whois
directory.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=754365819-12052008></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=754365819-12052008>By the way, what does "assign" mean? If as a hosting
ISP, I configure IP addresses into my switches and routers to enable a hosting
customer to communicate using these addresses, then this is not the same as the
classic "assignment" scenario. It could be interpreted as internal architecture
usage. This is becoming more common as more specialised IP network service
companies arise, and a single organization may receive addresses from several
different ISPs and only use these addresses for certain purposes. In the classic
scenario, an assignment was like a loan of 100% of the address that you would
need to configure all the devices in all of your internal networks. Since NAT
came on the scene, the picture has gotten fuzzier and
fuzzier.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=754365819-12052008></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=754365819-12052008>--Michael Dillon</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=754365819-12052008></SPAN></FONT> </DIV></BODY></HTML>