[arin-ppml] ARIN-2024-5 community feedback needed re: IXP additional allocations

[Chris Woodfield]

Hello all,

While presenting Draft Policy ARIN-2024-5 at ARIN 55, it was noted in the room that the new Section 4.4 should include in the “Additional Allocations” subsection an accommodation for IXPs requesting an additional block where ARIN is unable to provide a sparse allocation, making the next-contiguous prefix unavailable. It was noted that IXPs should be able to receive a new allocation at the larger size, and be given sufficient time to renumber IXP infrastructure, along with their members’ peerings, to the new prefix and then return the original one once the renumbering is complete.

One critical question that comes from this: The policy must specify a deadline for which the original prefix must be returned to ARIN, and I’m interested in the community’s take on what that deadline should be. In my experience, IXP participants are given a fairly limited amount of time (typically 30-60 days) to renumber, but I believe that ARIN policy should be more generous here, because there are always corner cases and stragglers. On the other hand, IXPs might prefer to have a tighter window codified in policy, as that might give them additional context when engaging with IXP participants who don’t prioritize renumbering.

Comments welcome :)

Thank you,

- Chris