A comprehensive review of RIR policies in the domain of ASN management

At the very core of the mandate for each and every Regional Internet Registry (RIR) lies the management and allocation of Internet number resources (IPv4, IPv6, and Autonomous System Numbers (ASNs)) within their designated regions. However, while IP addresses have been explored in enormous detail from both a technical and an academic point of view, ASNs have not seen the same level of interest from within academia. We are a research team at TU Delft that is trying to change this.

Depletion of the pool of available IPv4 address space created a scarcity-driven market that was compelled by the transfers of IPv4 addresses after the depletion. This scarcity also spurred the adoption and implementation of IPv6, designed to provide a vastly larger pool of IP addresses that would accommodate increasing Internet connectivity.

In contrast, ASNs have the opposite problem - abundance. Applicants are likely to get an ASN as long as they meet some basic criteria: Membership of an RIR, a distinct AS routing policy, and multihoming. However, there is very little investigation into the intended use of an ASN, such as whether it will be used for Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) or peering arrangements.

The increase in ASNs from 16 bits to 32 bits expanded the pool from 65,536 to more than 4B ASNs, however, the implications of this expansion on the network's operations and operators have remained unexplored. This sets the stage for developments that raise very relevant questions regarding the future of Internet infrastructure. Will a larger number of publicly advertised ASNs mean progressively large BGP routing tables? How would efficiency and security be affected by the growing size of global Internet routing? Would the implementation of a maintenance fee result in an increase in the return of ASNs to the RIRs?

Some of these questions form the focus of our research, in an attempt to comprehensively review the practices of ASN assignments and management of different RIRs for a clear operational challenge, the motivations behind ASN applications, and wider implications for Internet governance and security. We encourage you to take our survey and contribute to this much-needed scrutiny of the ASN ecosystem.

The study investigates detailed policies and practices of RIRs on the allocation of ASNs. Current research will dive deep into investigating operative challenges, inconsistencies, and vulnerabilities that surround ASN allocation and management.

This research is important for multiple reasons. Firstly, it will make up for a serious deficiency in academic and practical knowledge with a deep analysis of ASN resource management. Secondly, it is intended to contribute to the currently followed RIR policies and the policy development process itself by emphasizing best practices and further reform areas for the establishment of more resilient and secure Internet governance.

These results will be useful to network administrators, decision-makers, and the Internet community as a whole to ensure that ASN allocation still supports the ongoing development of the global Internet infrastructure. We would therefore very much appreciate your response to this questionnaire because we would like to involve you in our deliberations toward shaping the future course for ASN management policies.

Finally, we will run a survey and call for responses from the APNIC community to share insights into their general experience of ASN assignment and management practices. This is not limited to registry services and organizations holding an ASN but the NIRs working with APNIC to make and review policies. We would also like to hear from network administrators who handle reports of abuse, data centre operators, or law enforcement working on cybersecurity. We estimate this survey will take 10-15 minutes of your time. Questions will cover your demographics, your technical knowledge, policy-related questions, and personal experience in using ASNs.

In addition to the questionnaire, this research also needs the involvement of some people in an in-depth interview. A simple survey cannot grasp all the subtleties and perspectives that drive APNIC, so we would also like to invite you to have a chat with us and share your point of view.

We will keep the interviews to approximately 35-40 minutes, which will enable us to delve deeper into operational challenges and policy perspectives around ASN assignments. Your participation is greatly needed to obtain some qualitative data to complement the quantitative insights from the survey.

We again encourage all users to take part in this important study by completing this questionnaire and further, if invited, to consider participating in an interview. Your input will be very critical in shaping future policies and practices to ensure a safe and efficient Internet infrastructure. If you are interested in the interview, please provide contact details at the end of the questionnaire, and we will get in touch to schedule a time most convenient for you.

Nachiket Kondhalkar is pursuing an MSc in Engineering and Policy Analysis from TU Delft, gaining a deeper understanding of the intersection between engineering, technology, and policy. His Master's thesis explores the domain of cybersecurity governance by exploring the assignment and allocation of ASNs by the global RIRs.

The views expressed by the authors of this blog are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of APNIC. Please note a Code of Conduct applies to this blog.

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