[arin-ppml] Policy Proposal: Last Minute Assistance for Small ISPs

[Ted Mittelstaedt]

Jason Schiller wrote:
> On Mon, 27 Jul 2009, Bill Darte wrote:
> 
>> My initial thoughts are operational and definitional....
>>
>> "When ARIN has reached 90% allocation of it's remaining IP free
>> pool"....for instance.
>> free pool would have to be defined a bit more precisely and of course,
>> that 90% threshold may vary even during a request being processed with
>> returns, etc.
>>
>> Could this proposal trigger the change in mimimum assignment during the
>> process of receiving the next IANA allocation? What happens then?
>>
>> IF the last /8 that ARIN could get existed as a free pool, then as the
>> process described in this proposal takes shape, there would only be
>> 4200+ /20s available, but given that any size of allocation/assignment
>> request may come in, it is entirely possible thresholds of 90%, 95% and
>> 97% might get crossed rather quickly.....
>>
>> Additionally, when a given threshold is met, it is increasingly likely
>> that a single large and justified request could wipe out the entire free
>> pool without other 'end times' policy as have been/are being proposed
>> and considered.
>>
>> I'd be interested to hear other members of the community comment.
>>
> I think there needs to be more clarity here. First off I assume
> assignments also count towards the measurment of the free pool?  

Yes and no.  It frankly depends on how ARIN slices up the last /8

If ARIN takes the last /8 and cuts it in half, with a /9 reserved to
allocations and a /9 reserved to assignments, then this would mean
95% of the last /9, not the last /8

I don't think ARIN operates this way, but no matter.

"free pool" is simply whatever ARIN has decided will be handed out
as allocations under that section of the policy.  I don't know
that ARIN uses the terminology "free pool" internally at all, perhaps
they don't.

I would welcome AC input on this - but keep in mind that policies
should avoid interference with operational details as much as
possible.  I think ARIN staff is smart enough that they can discern
the meaning of a policy and work out the internal implementation of it.

> What
> about reserved space?  
> 
> As you and David Farmer point out, there is some concern on what you
> measure the percentage against.  According to the NRO 06/2009 numbers ARIN
> has been allocated 21.33 /8s.  That meanse is 19.197 /8s are allocated or
> assigned then would we be in the post 90% phase already?
> 
> Secondly are the words "free pool".  What exactly is the ARIN free
> pool? Does this include the last /8 allocted under section 10.4 (it 
> seems the intention of this policy was for these addresses to be
> special use and not part of the normal allocation / assignment
> phase)?  Does this include special use space, like the /24s reserved for
> Critical Infrastructure in section 4.4?  Does this include the /10 that is
> dedicated to IPv6 transition mechanisms in section 4.10?  Does this
> include fragments that are smaller than the current minium allocation?
> 

"Free pool" simply means "the pool of numbers that ARIN uses to make
allocations to ISP's.

If ARIN wants to take the last /8 and make it all reserved, then the
"free pool" would be the next-to-the-last-/8.  Same as it is right
now I suppose.

Ted

> __Jason
> 
> 
>