AS numbers are a vital part of the Internet’s core routing system, the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP). With existing two-byte AS numbers predicted to run out in early 2011, RIRs will issue four-byte AS numbers by default (unless otherwise specifically requested) beginning 1 January 2009, as the next phase of a transition from two- to four-byte numbers. Following a globally coordinated policy, RIRs began allocating four-byte AS numbers by request only in January 2007; January 2009 marks the transition to allocating four-byte AS numbers by default...
Without timely support from vendors, network operators risk having
routers and network administration systems that won’t accept the
expanded four-byte number format. As such, the RIRs urge operators to
verify their vendors’ routers will support four-byte AS numbers.
Geoff Huston, Chief Scientist at APNIC, the Regional Internet Registry
for the Asia Pacific Region, expressed severe concerns over failure to
prepare for four-byte AS numbers: “AS numbers are often used to
identify external relationships, set routing attributes, and manage
traffic. Learning from our current experiences with IPv6 preparation
issues, Internet engineers designed four-byte AS numbers to be backward
compatible with much of the installed network infrastructure. But new
entrants and networks that are expanding or merging will need new AS
numbers and as of 1 January 2009 these will be, by default, four-byte
AS numbers. If router software and support systems in critical parts of
the Internet's infrastructure aren't upgraded by January, we’ll
encounter some significant network routing problems. We’re extremely
concerned that a lot of routers and network management software out
there cannot and will not be able to recognize four-byte AS numbers”.
An Autonomous System (AS) is a collection of networks, or routers,
administered as a group sharing a common set of routing policies, each
defined with a unique number, or AS number. Massive Internet growth
has depleted the existing pool of two-byte AS numbers (65,536 numbers
in total). As a result, engineers have expanded the AS number space
from two bytes to four-bytes, to include over 4 billion AS numbers.
Some routers do not currently support the use of four byte AS numbers.
To help vendors understand what they need to do to provide four-byte AS
number support and to help network operators find products that support
four-byte AS numbers, APNIC has set up a special website at
http://icons.apnic.net.
-END-
Notes to Editors
About the Regional Internet Registries (RIRs)
Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) are independent, not-for-profit
membership organisations that support the infrastructure of the
Internet through technical coordination.
There are five RIRs in the world today. Currently, the Internet
Assigned Numbers Association (IANA) allocates blocks of IP addresses
and AS numbers, known collectively as Internet number resources, to the
RIRs, who then distribute them to their members within their own
specific service regions. RIR members include Internet Service
Providers (ISPs), telecommunications organisations, large corporations,
governments, academic institutions and industry stakeholders, including
end users.
The five RIRs are:
AfriNIC - Africa region
http://www.afrinic.net
APNIC - Asia and Pacific region
http://www.apnic.net
ARIN - Canada, many Caribbean and North Atlantic islands, and the United States
http://www.arin.net
LACNIC - Latin America and parts of the Caribbean
http://www.lacnic.net/en/index.html
RIPE NCC - Europe, Parts of Asia and the Middle East
http://www.ripe.net
Each RIR performs a range of critical functions including:
• The reliable and stable allocation of Internet number resources (IPv4, IPv6 and AS Number resources)
• The responsible storage and maintenance of this registration data
• The provision of an open, publicly accessible database where this data can be accessed
RIRs also provide a range of technical and coordination services for the Internet community.
Media contacts:
Renske Law, Blaise Hammond, or Lucie Smith, Racepoint Group
+44(0)020 8752 2274/ +44 (0)20 8752 2271
renske.law@racepointgroup.com / lucie.smith@racepointgroup.com/ blaise.hammond@racepointgroup.com
Source: Lucie Smith - Racepoint Group - Submission to DomainNews.com on July 25th - Posted by Roland G. Buck - Chief Editor