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APNIC Document identity
Title: Policies for Autonomous System number management
in the Asia Pacific region
Short title: asn-policy
Document ref: APNIC-094
Version: 006
Date of original publication: 19 November 2002
Date of this version: 8 November 2010
Review scheduled: n/a
Obsoletes: Previous versions
Status: Obsolete
Comments: AS policy previously described in
APNIC-076
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Policies for Autonomous System number management in the Asia
Pacific region
About this document
-------------------
This document contains policies relating to requesting, assigning, and
registering AS numbers in the Asia Pacific region.
Table of contents
-----------------
Part 1: Background, definitions, goals, and environment
1. Introduction
2. Scope
3. Definitions
3.1 Autonomous System (AS)
3.2 Autonomous System Number (ASN)
3.3 aut-num object
3.4 Multihomed
3.5 Routing policy
4. Policy environment
4.1 Resource ownership
4.2 Routing considerations
Part 2: Policies for ASN management
5. Eligibility for ASN assignment
5.1 Evaluation of eligibility
6. Requesting an ASN
6.1 Using ASN for own network
6.2 Providing ASN to customer
6.3 Timetable for moving from two-byte only AS numbers to
four-byte AS numbers
7. Registration requirements
7.1 Registering contact persons
7.2 Registering routing policy
7.3 Updating registration details
8. Return of unused ASNs
9. Additional guidelines
Part 1: Background, definitions, and environment
_______________________________________________________________________
1. Introduction
---------------
APNIC (the Asia Pacific Network Information Centre) is the Regional
Internet Registry for the Asia Pacific region, responsible for
distributing public Internet address space and related resources,
including Autonomous System Numbers (ASNs), in the region and for
coordinating the development and implementation of policies to manage
those resources.
The policies described in this document have been developed by the
Internet community of the Asia Pacific region through a consensus
process facilitated by APNIC. They are to be implemented by APNIC and
by the National Internet Registries (NIR).
2. Scope
---------
This document describes the policies relating to the distribution,
management, and use of Autonomous System (AS) numbers in the Asia
Pacific Region.
3. Definitions
---------------
The following terms and definitions are used in this document.
3.1 Autonomous System (AS)
An Autonomous System (AS) is a connected group of one or more IP
prefixes run by one or more network operators under a single and
clearly defined routing policy.
3.2 Autonomous System Number (ASN)
An Autonomous System Number (ASN) is a unique two- or four-byte
number associated with an AS. The ASN is used an identifier to
allow the AS to exchange dynamic routing information with other
Autonomous Systems. Exterior routing protocols such as the Border
Gateway Protocol (BGP) requires ASNs to exchange information
between networks.
- Two-byte only AS numbers are AS numbers in the range:
0 - 65535
- Four-byte only AS numbers are AS numbers in the range:
65,536 - 4,294,967,295
- Four-byte AS numbers are all AS numbers in the range:
0 - 4,294,967,295
3.3 aut-num object
An aut-num object is an object in the Whois database used to
register ASN assignment details. For the purposes of this
document, aut-num object also refers to the ASN registration
objects in NIR databases.
3.4 Multihomed
A multi-homed AS is one which is connected to more than one other
AS. An AS also qualifies as multihomed if it is connected to a
public Internet Exchange Point.
3.5 Routing policy
The routing policy of an AS is a description of how network
prefixes are exchanged between that AS and other Autonomous
Systems.
4 Policy environment
---------------------
In addition to the general goals and environmental considerations
described in APNIC-086 Policies for IPv4 address space management in
the Asia Pacific region, the following issues are specific factors in
determining ASN policy.
4.1 Resource ownership
The Internet community regards ASNs as a public resource that
should only be distributed according to demonstrated need. Neither
assignment nor registration confers ownership of resources.
Organizations that use ASNs are considered "custodians" rather than
"owners" of the resource, and are not entitled to sell or otherwise
transfer that resource to other parties.
4.2 Routing considerations
Responsible management of ASNs is necessary to help limit the
expansion of global routing tables. Aggregating contiguous IP
address prefixes within single Autonomous Systems helps to
minimize the number of routes announced to the global Internet.
Part 2: Policies for ASN management
_______________________________________________________________________
5 Eligibility for ASN assignment
---------------------------------
An organization is eligible for an ASN assignment if it:
a. is multihomed; and
b. has a single, clearly defined routing policy that is different
from its providers' routing policies.
An organization will also be eligible if it can demonstrate that it
will meet the above criteria upon receiving an ASN (or within a
reasonably short time thereafter).
5.1 Evaluation of eligibility
Requests for ASNs under these criteria will be evaluated using the
guidelines described in RFC1930 'Guidelines for the creation,
selection and registration of an Autonomous System' (AS).
6 Requesting an ASN
--------------------
Organizations may request an ASN from either APNIC or their relevant
NIR.
The requesting organization may request an ASN for use its own
network, or for the purposes of providing the ASN to one of its
customers, subject to the terms of Sections 6.1 and 6.2 below.
6.1 Using ASN for own network
Assignments to organizations that will use the ASN in their own
network are subject to the following additional terms:
a. The requesting organization is responsible for maintaining the
registration described in Section 7.
b. The requesting organization is entitled to continue using the
ASN, even if they change network peers or service providers.
6.2 Providing ASN to customer
Assignments to organizations that will provide the ASN to one of
its customers are subject to the following additional terms:
a. The customer that will actually use the ASN must meet the
criteria in Section 5.
b. The requesting organization is responsible for maintaining the
registration described in Section 7 on behalf of the customer.
c. If the customer ceases to receive connectivity from the
requesting organization it must return the ASN. The requesting
organization is expected to enter into an agreement with the
customer to this effect.
d. Any ASNs returned to the requesting organization must then be
returned to APNIC or the relevant NIR.
6.3 Timetable for moving from two-byte only AS numbers to
four-byte AS numbers
Commencing 1 January 2007:
APNIC will process applications that specifically request
four-byte only AS numbers and assign such AS numbers as
requested by the applicant. In the absence of any specific
request for a four-byte only AS number, a two-byte only AS
number will be assigned.
Commencing 1 January 2009:
APNIC will process applications that specifically request
two-byte only AS numbers and assign such AS numbers as
requested by the applicant. In the absence of any specific
request for a two-byte only AS number, a four-byte only AS
number will be assigned.
Commencing 1 July 2009:
APNIC will process applications that specifically request a
two-byte only AS numbers and assign such AS numbers as
requested by the applicant if the applicant can demonstrate
that a four-byte only AS number is unsuitable. In the absence
of demonstrated need for a two-byte only AS number, a
four-byte only AS number will be assigned.
Commencing 1 January 2010:
APNIC will cease to make any distinction between two-byte only
AS numbers and four-byte only AS numbers, and will operate AS
number assignments from an undifferentiated four-byte AS
number pool.
7 Registration requirements
-------------------------------
All ASNs assigned must be publicly registered in the APNIC, or relevant
NIR, Whois database. APNIC, or the relevant NIR, will create the
aut-num object.
All attributes of the aut-num object must be properly registered in
accordance with the APNIC or NIR Whois database documentation. Without
limiting these general requirements, Sections 7.1, 7.2 describe
particular requirements for ASN registration.
7.1 Registering contact persons
Administrative and technical contact persons must be registered
for each ASN assigned.
The registered administrative contact ('admin-c') is the person
responsible for the ASN and should generally be someone who is
physically located at the site of the AS.
The technical contact ('tech-c') need not be physically located
at the site of the AS, but must be a person who is responsible
for the day-to-day operation of that AS.
In addition, it is mandatory to register an Incident Report Team (IRT)
object for each AS number record in the APNIC Whois Database.
7.2 Registering routing policy
APNIC recommends that the routing policy of the AS is registered
for each ASN assigned.
7.3 Updating registration details
Organizations responsible for ASNs should update the aut-num
object in the appropriate database if any of the registration
information changes.
8. Return of unused ASNs
---------------------------
It is a condition of ASN assignment that if an ASN is not being used by the organization
that originally received it, then the ASN should be returned.
For information on recovery of unused historical AS numbers, see
section 7 of Policies for historical Internet resources in the
APNIC Whois Database:
http://www.apnic.net/policy/historical-resource-policies
9. Additional guidelines
--------------------------
In addition to the eligibility guidelines described in section 5.1,
APNIC may publish other guidelines relating to ASNs, including:
a. further descriptions of evaluation procedures;
b. summaries of the best current practices that organizations
requesting ASNs will generally be expected to adopt; and
c. other information that may assist organizations to request
ASNs.
Any guidelines published will be developed within the APNIC community,
and will be consistent with the goals and policies described in this
document.