03/98 WDB_version: 2.0 Shared WHOIS Project (SWIP): Updating Internet Protocol (IP) Address Space Information in the WHOIS Database ------------------------------- SWIP is the process that Internet Service Providers (ISPs) use to submit customer IP space reassignment information to WHOIS. The purpose of SWIP is to ensure effective, efficient maintenance of records on IP address space. ISPs that receive Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR) blocks of IP addresses from the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) either directly or indirectly (as a downstream customer of another ISP) MUST select either SWIP or RWHOIS to provide reassignment information to ARIN. The SWIP process: 1. updates WHOIS to show which organization is using the assigned IP address space, 2. provides a point of contact within the organization to which the IP space is assigned, and 3. tracks whether a provider has exhausted or is about to exhaust its current CIDR block allocations such that an additional allocation may be justified. Reassignment information obtained through SWIP is then available for use in IP allocation studies. Using SWIP SWIP automates the IP address space assignment process. ISPs use SWIP templates to submit reassignment to ARIN via E-mail. The SWIP submission template is available at: http://www.arin.net/templates.html Please submit all SWIP templates in ASCII format. SWIP Requirements In order to maintain a current WHOIS database, SWIP submissions must be made within seven (7) days of the assignment of IP address space. ISPs may submit reassignment data only for records within their allocated blocks. ARIN may make ad hoc changes to these records upon receipt of authorized approval of the delegated registry. ISPs return completed templates via E-mail to reassign@arin.net. Batch format submission is allowed with multiple templates attached to a single E-mail message. However, ISPs should limit submissions to up to 10 templates per message to facilitate tracking of SWIP completion. ARIN accepts SWIP templates for reassignments of /29 and larger blocks. Classless reassignment information, i.e., subnets of class A, B, and C address space, is also accepted. Justification for all reassignments of /18 and larger blocks must be submitted to ARIN for approval as per the IP Allocation Guidelines for ISPs which appears at: http://www.arin.net/documentation/IP IP Address Space Records Each IP address space record has a point of contact name, provider/maintainer ID, and various other fields assigned to it. ARIN assigns a provider/maintainer ID (formerly called a maintainer ID) to each ISP that is allocated Internet Protocol (IP) address space. The provider ID is the alphanumeric identifier that uniquely designates each ISP. A provider/maintainer ID is automatically assigned to an ISP being allocated /24 and larger blocks by the ISP's upstream provider. Only ISPs needing to provide reassignment information via SWIP or RWHOIS need provider/maintainer IDs. If you do not have a provider/maintainer ID, please request one by E-mail at reassign@arin.net. Include your company name and list IP addresses currently assigned to your organization. From this information, you will be sent your provider/maintainer ID. A list of provider/maintainer IDs is located at: URL: Definition of Allocation and Assignment The phrase "allocation of IP address space" applies to the provision of IP address space to ISPs that reassign their address space to other organizations. The phrase "assignment of IP address space" applies to the provision of IP address space by ISPs to end-user organizations. Questions about SWIP For answers to questions about SWIP, contact SWIP@arin.net. NOTE: SWIP@arin.net is a mailing list distributed to all members; do not submit SWIP templates to this address. Send templates to reassign@arin.net. RWHOIS Server for Information Input The alternative to using SWIP for updating Internet Protocol (IP) address space information in the WHOIS Database is establishment of a Referral WHOIS (RWHOIS) server. For information on RWHOIS, see: http://rwhois.internic.net/ GUIDELINES FOR SWIP SUBMISSIONS -------------------------------------- In order to ensure prompt, accurate processing of a SWIP registration, please precisely follow the instructions below. Because SWIP templates are automatically parsed for insertion into the WHOIS database, errors or omissions in the templates, may require return to the submitting ISP for correction. This delays the processing of your reassignment information and impedes the timely update of the WHOIS database. Such a delay may impact requests for additional CIDR blocks due to reassignment information being unavailable for review. Specific directions for filling out each field appears in the Detailed Directions and the correctly completed Sample Templates that follow. GUIDELINES FOR COPYING AND COMPLETING THE SWIP TEMPLATE 1. USING THE SWIP TEMPLATE Each line in the blank SWIP template must be copied EXACTLY AS IT APPEARS. Do not alter the established field names or spacing when you fill in the information. Any change to the template provided may cause an error that inhibits the automatic processing of your template and delays the input of your reassignment information. EXAMPLE: Required SWIP Fields WDB_version:1.4 (required) --- (required) (N)new (M)modify (D)delete: (required) (A)allocate (S)assign: (required) --- (required) ntsnum: (required) ntenum: (required) ntname: (required) org: (required) street: (required) city: (only optional for non-US) state: (only optional for non-US) zipcode: (only optional for non-US) cntry: (required) maint: (required) --- (required) hname: (optional) ipaddr: (optional) --- (required) hname: (optional) ipaddr: (optional) --- (required) nichandl: (optional, if a user handle is not currently assigned; required if assigned) lname: (required) fname: (required) mname: (optional) org: (required) street: (required) city: (only optional for non-US) state: (only optional for non-US) zipcode: (only optional for non-US) cntry: (required) phne: (required) mbox: (optional) 2. COMMON ERRORS. 1. Missing Information from Required Fields. Successful SWIP template submission is based on all Required Fields being completed (See Required Fields information above.) a. Include your provider/maintainer ID in the "prov:" field. If you are unsure of your provider/maintainer ID, refer to: URL: [rs.arin.net/pub/swip/maintainer.list] If you don't have a provider/maintainer ID, please send E-mail to reassign@arin.net requesting one. b. If you know the user handle, include it in the field and leave the rest of the user information blank. c. A network name (ntename): 1. Can be up to 21 characters in length, 2. Cannot contain blank space, 3. Cannot begin with a number, and 4. Contains only alphanumeric characters or a hyphen (-), d. The correct format for input of numbers in the ntsnum: (network starting number) and ntenum (network ending number)fields is shown in the example below: EXAMPLE: Use the format: XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX Input in the template would appear as: ntsnum: 10.4.18.0 ntenum: 10.4.18.255 ntsnum: 10.123.226.192 ntenum: 10.123.226.223 1) WDB_version: 1.4 --- The version number is required for the processing of the SWIP template and should precede at least the first SWIP template in each submission. It is followed by a separator (---) that must remain precisely in position. NOTES: a. ALL separators in SWIP templates (---) MUST remain in position to separate records within a SWIP file and to separate objects within each record. b. Copy the template exactly, retaining the version number and separators in the correct positions. 2) (N)new (M)modify (D)delete: (N)New: For new assignments, place an N after the colon. (M) Modify: To modify/change an EXISTING record, place an M after the colon. The only information that can be modified is the physical address of the organization, POC, and in-addrs. The netname and organization cannot be modified. (D) Delete: To delete a record, place a D after the colon. NOTE: If you are changing the organization name and reassigning the network, there is a two-step procedure you must follow: Step 1: Submit a Delete (D) request to ARIN to delete the current network. After ARIN confirms a successful deletion, then, Step 2: Submit a New (N) request for the "New" network. 3) (A) Allocate (S) Assign: --- IP addresses are either allocated or assigned. Allocate: Refers to provision of IP address space issued to ISPs that reassign their address space to other organizations. Assign: IP addresses issued to end-user customers to use to number their internal hosts are considered "Assigned." For Assigned IP addresses, place an S after the colon. NOTE: Correct choice of Allocate or Assign is very important as all organizations that are allocated address space from you will receive a provider/maintainer ID so that they can in turn submit their own reassignment information. 4. ntsnum: network starting number, e.g., 10.4.216.0 ntenum: network ending number, e.g., 10.4.216.255 List the network starting number and network ending number of the IP addresses you are assigning. 5. ntname: network name A unique network name is required for all IP addresses issued. The format is: Provider ID - Number. Numbers may range from 1 through n. EXAMPLES: ARIN-1 or ARIN-2 Requests for network names ending in "-DOM" will be rejected as they lead to conflicts with domain name handles. 6. org: organization (customer name) List the name of the organization being assigned the IP number. 7. street: 111 Main Street 8. city: Town Center 9. state: VA 10. zipcode: 22182 11. cntry: US The mailing address MUST be listed on separate lines as shown above. 12. maint: provider/maintainer ID Each ISP receives a provider/maintainer ID when they are initially allocated a Class Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR)block from their upstream ISP. The ISP issued the provider ID for a specific CIDR block is authorized to submit reassignment information. The "prov" field should contain your organization's provider/maintainer ID. Provider/maintainer Ids are also issued to those organizations(downstream ISPs) that are ALLOCATED addresses by you. Your provider/maintainer ID is included to you in the confirmation notice from ARIN and should be passed on to your customers for use in their SWIP submissions. A list of the provider/maintainer IDs is located at: URL: [ftp://rs.arin.net/pub/swip/maintainer.list.] This list is updated weekly to ensure the most recent additions are included. 13. hname: host name ipaddr: ip address --- hname: additional host name ipaddr: ip address Use this section to add or modify inverse address (in-addr) nameservers to network records. At least two nameservers are required if in-addr is being listed, otherwise the request will be rejected. Please provide a complete list of name servers in the order they should appear on the record. Both the hostname and IP address of the nameserver are required. NOTE: To modify or register a host, use the InterNIC template and instructions at: ftp://rs.internic.net/templates/host-template.txt http://rs.internic.net/help/templates.html Once you are registered, you can use SWIP for reassignment purposes, but SWIP cannot register new hosts or modify existing host information, i.e., modify the hostname or IP address in an existing inverse domain name server.) All ISPs receiving /16 (Class B) blocks or larger from ARIN are responsible for maintaining all IN-ADDR.ARPA domain records for their respective customers. The ISP is responsible for the maintenance of IN-ADDR.ARPA domain records of all longer prefixes that have been delegated out of that block. If a delegation comes from an ISP block of /16 or larger, the above fields should be left blank, or the fields could be deleted altogether. ARIN will not place in-addr nameservers on networks longer than /24. When modify or adding in-addr nameservers on blocks directly issued from ARIN, the in-addr (or network) template should be utilized. URL: 14) TECHNICAL POINT OF CONTACT SECTION nichandl: user handle lname: last name fname: first name mname: middle name org: organization street: city: state: zipcode: cntry: country code* phne: phone mbox: E-mail address This section is for the technical point of contact (POC). The POC must be within the organization receiving the address. You must provide the user handle ,ARIN-handl> if one is currently listed for the POC in the WHOIS database. To determine a user handle, search the WHOIS database for the POC using the format: last name, first name. If a user handle is assigned, list the user handle in the ARIN-handle field, and leave the rest of the fields blank, unless you wish to submit a modification to one of these fields. If the user handle does not appear in the WHOIS database, leave the field blank and complete the remaining fields in this section as follows: lname: (Last name) fname: (First name) mname: (Middle name) org: (Organization) street: city: state: (If applicable) zipcode: cntry: (Use the two-letter Country Code) phne: (Telephone number) mbox: (E-mailbox) NOTE: The two-letter country code is found at: URL: [ftp://rs.arin.net/netinfo/iso3166 - countrycodes] Examples of Correctly Completed SWIP Templates ---------------------------------------------- 1) The example below is for a new /21 network allocation, with no in-addr additions/modifications and an unknown POC ARIN- handle. WDB_version: 1.4 --- (N)new (M)modify (D)delete: N (A)allocate (S)assign: A --- ntsnum: 172.16.0.0 ntenum: 172.16.7.255 ntname: COMP-1 org: Any Company street: 111 Main Street city: Town Center state: VA zipcode: 22182 cntry: US maint: COMP --- hname: ipaddr: --- hname: ipaddr: --- nichandl: lname: Smith fname: Mark mname: A. org: Any Company street: 111 Main Street city: Town Center state: VA zipcode: 22182 cntry: US phne: 555-555-1111 mbox: hostmaster@company.net 2. The example below is for assigning 3 /24 bit networks in one template. In this example, in-addrs are being added and the ARIN-handle for the contact is known. WDB_version: 1.4 --- (N)new (M)modify (D)delete: N (A)allocate (S)assign: S --- ntsnum: 198.41.0.0 ntenum: 198.41.2.255 ntname: COMP-2 org: Any Company street: 222 Main Street city: Town Center state: VA zipcode: 22182 cntry: US maint: COMP --- hname: NS1.ARIN.NET ipaddr: 192.168.4.4 --- hname: NS2.ARIN.NET ipaddr: 192.168.4.5 --- nichandl: HOSTMASTER lname: fname: mname: org: street: city: state: zipcode: cntry: phne: mbox: --- 3) The example below is for assigning a /27 bit range. In this example, there is no in-addr server being added since it is shorter than a /24. The ARIN-handle for the coordinator is known. WDB_version: 1.4 --- (N)new (M)modify (D)delete: N (A)allocate (S)assign: S --- ntsnum: 198.41.2.0 ntenum: 198.41.2.31 ntname: COMP-3 org: Any Company street: 111 Main Street city: Town Center state: VA zipcode: 22182 cntry: US maint: COMP --- hname: ipaddr: --- hname: ipaddr: --- nichandl: HOSTMASTER lname: fname: mname: org: street: city: state: zipcode: cntry: phne: mbox: RECOMMENDED READING: Available via anonymous ftp from: DS.INTERNIC.NET (198.49.45.10) Hubbard, K., Kosters, M., Conrad, D., Karrenberg, D., Postel, J. Internet Registry IP Allocation Guidelines; November 1996. BCP 12 RFC 2050. 13 p. T. Pummill, B. Manning. Variable Length Subnet Table For IPv4", December 26, 1995. RFC 1878 (Obsoletes RFC1860). 8 p.